Fran: My forward combination with Aguero is the top three in Europe; Atletico Madrid is very similar to Uruguay

Hupu August 12th Diego Fran, one of the best players to play for Atletico Madrid this century, was selected as the cover character of Atletico Madrid's membership card for the 2025-26 season and the season ticket holder membership card. The Uruguayan star recently visited the Uria Club program and talked about multiple topics.

Atle Madrid 2025-2026 season membership card cover

"This is a huge honor. I am very proud to be with fans and Atletico Madrid membership card like those legends who appear on the card. I am really grateful. For me, it is an honor to be tied with Galat, Adrado and Torres. "

Experience of joining Atletico Madrid

"The person who always wanted to sign me was Miguel Angel. At that time, I was in the independent team, and he wanted to sign me to Atletico Madrid, but the transfer guarantee was not done in the end and the financial guarantee was not in place, so I didn't make it. Later, I went to Manchester United, and when Atletico Madrid tried again, I couldn't succeed. Later, when I ended my career as Villarreal, Miguel Angel took action again and finally signed me for the third time."

The front line with Aguero

"There were many teams with great front line in those years, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Chelsea... But I must be honest, in the seasons when Aguero and I partnered with, I thought we were the top three forward team combination in Europe. We had different styles, but we helped each other and complemented each other. We did play very well at Atletico Madrid."

Hamburg's UEFA Europa League

"Hamburg's memory gave me goosebumps. At that time, the club was in a low point, negative and complex period, and the signings were not effective, disappointing, coaches changed frequently, and the performance was not good. To be honest, there was dissatisfaction between the management, fans, and the media... Atletico Madrid was like a bad luck in Spain at that time, not a giant team like this. It started around 2007. Gradually, we worked hard, first to qualify for the Europa League, then to qualify for the Champions League, and then to win the UEFA Cup. The situation is different now, but that night in Hamburg was the starting point for Atletico Madrid to officially turn the situation around, and we achieved a 180-degree turn. Later, we lost the Copa del Rey final in Barcelona, but a few days later, defeated Inter Milan in Monaco to win the European Super Cup. We changed the slump, which is something to be proud of for us participants. "

Winning the Golden Boot Award at Atletico Madrid

" I scored 32 goals the season when Atletico Madrid became the best scorer in La Liga for the second time and won the European Golden Boot Award. I remember about 15 of them were scored outside the penalty area, many of which were with my left foot, and I had the ability to hit hard, and I could shoot with both left and right feet. This is what my father always gave me I enjoyed this very much in my career, especially at Atletico Madrid. "

Uruguay and 2010 World Cup

"Will we win the World Cup? I don't know, maybe not, but it's already a pride to be able to represent the national team in this way and win the World Cup Golden Ball Awards just because of playing time. We were eliminated when we were very close to the semifinals, which did leave some regrets, but I am proud of that event. Uruguay is a plain country, full of greenery, we have a lot of boys and girls playing football together, we have our own youth training system, football culture, and we have cultivated these things since we were young. We are proud of the football legacy left by the Uruguayans. "

Is Atletico Madrid Uruguay in European football?

"If you look at the characteristics of Simeone, what he was like as a player, now he is a strong coach. Atletico Madrid is a team with a strong style. This is his philosophy and how he understands the game. Look at how many Uruguayan players have played for Atletico Madrid, and they all performed very, very well. Atletico Madrid's history is very similar to that of Uruguay. Atletico Madrid is fighting, pain, victory, just like Uruguay. It is very similar to Uruguay. Atletico Madrid fans have a lot of affection for Uruguay players, and when you play at Calderon Stadium, you know Atletico Madrid players can always do everything. What’s wonderful and interesting is that you know you’ll give your dedication and struggle, good and bad things can happen, but this kind of dedication is a registered trademark of Atletico Madrid players, and the fans are amazing. People are always with us, full of longing and hope, and even if the results are not good, the fans are always there. "

Contact with former teammates

"Diego Godin and I have contacts in Uruguay, and we meet from time to time. I also keep in touch with many teammates from Argentina and Spain. We have a good relationship, because of different reasons or activities, we sometimes get together to meet."