Forlan urges India to 'build from the roots' ahead of Uruguay friendly in Kolkata

Diego Forlan is in Kolkata preparing Uruguay for a friendly against India on October 6 and told reporters the country must "build from the roots" to produce better players. The former Uruguay striker returned to India almost a decade after his last visit and offered a blueprint focused on youth development ahead of the match.

Now Uruguay's coach, Forlan spoke in Kolkata about the need for academies, more playing time for children and a stronger domestic base, saying: "It's not an easy question, but you need to build from the roots. Academies, young players, kids, to start playing a lot." He added: "If you build more academies, the league gets stronger and stronger, you will achieve getting more players and getting better players, that's for sure." His remarks followed India’s 4-0 loss to Brazil at Salt Lake Stadium on October 3, which he had watched.

Forlan singled out positive moments from the Brazil game, telling reporters: "You can see some combinations, some young players, some good players that you can see that if you give them time and space, they can damage and they can play well." He noted instances where India combined and looked to run at Brazil rather than sit deep, and identified Ryan Williams, Manvir Singh and Sahal Abdul Samad among the players who produced attacking moments.

The Brazil match saw India's defensive line catch Vincius Jr offside several times in the early stages, but Brazil eventually settled; Estvo and Pedro scored before the break and the second half became increasingly difficult for India as individual mistakes were punished, the game finishing 4-0. Forlan said repeated exposure to opponents of that standard would be beneficial, adding: "I think this kind of game, playing against the best in the world, and also having more strong games, would improve the development of young players in the near future."

India’s international window has included a 1-1 draw with Panama in Bengaluru on September 25, followed by the Brazil friendly in Kolkata and the scheduled match with Uruguay on October 6. The coaching staff and players have emphasised lessons from those fixtures—less time on the ball, quicker punishment for errors and the impact of brief lapses in concentration—which will need to be applied once players return to their clubs.

Forlan knows Indian football from his playing days, when he joined Mumbai City in 2016 as their marquee player and captain and featured alongside Sunil Chhetri in the early ISL years. He recalled Kolkata nights from that period, including scoring the winner on October 25, 2016 as Mumbai City beat Atltico de Kolkata 1-0 at Rabindra Sarobar Stadium, and a later semi-final in which he was sent off as Mumbai lost 3-2 in the first leg before Atltico eventually progressed; nearly ten years on he returns to Kolkata as Uruguay’s coach, observing the players and structures that produced them.

Uruguay arrive in Kolkata after a 4-1 win over South Korea and with several established names in the squad, although captain Federico Valverde is absent through injury; Forlan, overseeing a side in transition after taking over following Marcelo Bielsa's departure, warned: "You have to respect everybody. We know it's not going to be easy." The Salt Lake Stadium friendly on October 6 gives Khalid Jamil's India another opportunity to test itself against a team used to playing at the highest level.