Forlan no stranger to Kolkata’s passion for football, India's cricket craze

• Diego Forlan recalls his ISL stint and Kolkata's football culture as he returns to India as Uruguay coach.

• Forlan praises India's football potential and backs more international friendlies to help the Blue Tigers improve.

• The former World Cup Golden Ball winner faces the challenge of rebuilding Uruguay after their recent World Cup struggles.

The Uruguayan squad in Kolkata may boast enough star power, but there are no prizes for guessing who has been most sought after by the media — their new coach Diego Forlan. If his stature as a modern great and winner of the Golden Ball at the 2010 FIFA World Cup is one factor, the other is his instant recall among Indian football fans.

More than a decade after Forlan, Uruguay’s No. 10 for years, first came to India, he has returned in the avatar of the national coach after lighting up the Indian Super League (ISL) for a season with Mumbai City FC. That experience gave him a better understanding of the country than most visiting national team coaches could hope to have — its venues, culture, football ecosystem and even the fact that cricket is treated as a ‘religion’.

"Yes, your main sport is cricket, but India have been playing football for a long time," remarked Forlan, who also played an ISL match at the now-decrepit Rabindra Sarobar Stadium in Kolkata. "It's been almost 10 years since I came here," he said at the pre-match media conference ahead of Tuesday's friendly against India.

"I had the opportunity to play in the ISL for Mumbai City. I spent six months here, playing in Kolkata, Mumbai and different cities. I discovered a really nice country, with a lot of people and a lot of good football players."

His memories of Kolkata remain particularly vivid. He had first visited the city as a guest of honour at the launch of a regional television channel before returning as an overseas star during the glory days of the ISL. The city's appetite for football has never ceased to amaze him — though one wonders what his response would be on Tuesday, given the poor response to ticket sales.

"Every time the team was playing here, the stadium was full," he said, placing Kolkata alongside Kerala, Goa and the Northeast among the pockets of India where he felt football most strongly. "They are really passionate about football and have good players as well," he observed.

"I think it's good that the national team of India is playing these kinds of friendly games. In the future, they can have more games like this so they can learn and become a better team," Forlan added.

The task beyond these friendlies is an onerous one for Forlan. Uruguay, world champions in the inaugural editions in 1930 and 1950, are facing a rough ride after failing to make the knockout stages at the last two World Cups.

Asked how challenging the job was for a country that had prided itself on the legacy of Forlan, Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani not so long ago, he said: "That's life. You must realise that when a team wins, it's not necessarily the best, and when you lose, you are not necessarily the worst. You need to work hard."

History tells us that not all football greats go on to become a Mario Zagallo or Franz Beckenbauer — both of whom won World Cups as players and coaches. Didier Deschamps, captain of France's 1998 World Cup-winning side, may not have been the most celebrated player of his generation but went on to enjoy an enviable run as coach, while Diego Maradona failed to guide Argentina beyond the quarter-finals at the 2010 World Cup.

Forlan has only just begun his journey. So, it is a case of wait and watch.