Diego Forlan's leadership on the field has been a key factor of Uruguay's march to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in 40 years.
The 31-year-old Atletico Madrid striker is becoming recognized as Uruguay's best player in recent memory, adding international glory to the two golden boot awards he won as Europe's top club scorer in 2004-05 and 2008-09.
"All I do is play and try to keep going the same way," said Forlan, who has two goals in this year's tournament. "Enjoying it, that's all."
Helping his country reach the quarterfinals has helped break the curse of other great Uruguayan players such as Alvaro Recoba and Ruben Sosa, who were unable to help Uruguay go so far at a World Cup.
"We are lucky to have a footballer with the experience and ability he (Forlan) has and the desire to help the team," coach Oscar Tabarez said.
Now Uruguay has a good chance to go even further, taking on Ghana in the quarterfinals Friday in Johannesburg - a team ranked 16 places lower than the South Americans.
Forlan is playing his second World Cup after appearing in the 2002 edition. That time he was a young prospect who scored just once as Uruguay failed to get out of its group.
This time, Forlan arrived in South Africa as a seasoned performer, fresh from scoring both of Atletico's goals in the 2-1 victory over Fulham in the Europa Cup final in May.
His goalscoring form in Spain, first with Villarreal and then with Atletico, has erased memories of his two years with Manchester United, where he scored 17 goals in 95 appearances, featuring mostly as a substitute.
International success was the only thing missing - until now.
Forlan has become the attacking axis in Tabarez's Uruguay squad, operating slightly deeper than normal in a three-pronged attack with Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
"Forlan is a natural leader," midfielder Alvaro Fernandez said. "He's kind of the one who takes command from the middle of the pitch up to the front, so we pay a lot of attention to what he says."
Strike partner Suarez has outscored Forlan with three goals, but it's not a statistic that Forlan worries about.
"I've been chosen to play a bit further back, trying to arrive later on goal," Forlan said. "If (Suarez) is to get more goals, then so be it and hopefully that helps us go as far as possible."
