Cerezo Osaka on Thursday confirmed that the J. League club has reached a one-year deal with Uruguay striker Diego Forlan, winner of the Golden Ball Award as the most valuable player at the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
Cerezo had been in negotiations to acquire the 34-year-old Forlan since last autumn and club president Masao Okano, who was informed that the deal had gone through early Thursday morning, said, "(Forlan) will be playing for Cerezo this season."
The news was met with a mixture of joy and surprise from Cerezo's players.