Fernando José Torres Sanz (Spanish pronunciation: [feɾˈnando ˈtores]; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Atlético Madrid Juvenil A. Due to his consistent goalscoring rate as a young player, Torres came to be nicknamed El Niño ('The Kid').[5] In his prime, he was praised for his pace, accurate finishing, and proficiency in heading. In 2008, he finished third for the Ballon d'Or and in 2008 and 2009 he was named in the FIFA World XI.
Torres started his career with Atlético Madrid, progressing through their youth system to the first-team squad. He made his first-team debut in 2001 and finished his time at the club with 75 goals in 174 La Liga appearances. Torres joined Premier League club Liverpool in 2007, after signing for a club record transfer fee. He marked his first season at Anfield by being Liverpool's first player since Robbie Fowler in the 1995–96 season to score more than 20 league goals in a season. The most prolific goalscoring spell of his career, he became the fastest player in Liverpool history to score 50 league goals. During this period, 2007—2010, Torres was often regarded as one of the best strikers in the world.[6]
Torres left Liverpool in January 2011 to join Chelsea for a British record transfer fee of £50 million, which made him the most expensive Spanish player in history. At Chelsea, Torres won the FA Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, though his goalscoring rate and performances drastically declined. Torres joined Serie A club AC Milan on a two-year loan prior to the 2013–14 season, and signed permanently in January 2015. In the same month, he agreed to rejoin Atlético Madrid on loan until the end of the 2015–16 season, before signing permamently for the club in July 2016. Torres won the 2017-18 UEFA Europa League before he signed for Japanese club Sagan Tosu in July 2018, retiring from football after the 2018-19 season.
Torres is a Spanish international and made his debut against Portugal in 2003. He has been capped over 100 times and is his country's third-highest goalscorer of all-time. With Spain, he has participated in six major tournaments: UEFA Euro 2004, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup, Euro 2012, and the 2014 World Cup. Spain won the three tournaments from 2008 to 2012, with Torres scoring in the finals of both Euro 2008 and Euro 2012. He scored the winning goal in the 2008 European Championship, and won the Golden Boot for highest goalscorer in 2012.
Early career
Born in Fuenlabrada, Community of Madrid,[7] Torres became interested in football as a child and joined his first team, Parque 84, at age five.[8] His grandfather was not a passionate football fan, but took pride in being an Atlético Madrid supporter, and Torres inherited his love for the club.[8]
Torres began playing football as a goalkeeper, the position his brother played in.[9] At age seven, however, he started playing regularly as a striker in an indoor league for the neighbourhood club, Mario's Holanda,[8] using the characters from the anime Captain Tsubasa as inspiration.[10] Three years later, aged 10, he progressed to an 11-side team, Rayo 13.[11] He scored 55 goals in a season and was one of three Rayo 13 players to earn a trial with Atlético.[11] He impressed the scouts and joined the club's youth system at age 11 in 1995.[11]
Club career
Atlético Madrid
After progressing through the ranks, Torres won his first important youth title in 1998.[11] Atlético sent an under-15 team to compete in the Nike Cup, in Spain and Europe, to play against youth teams from other clubs; Atlético won the tournament.[11][12] He was later voted the best player in Europe for the age group.[12] In 1999, at the age of 15, Torres signed his first professional contract with Atlético.[11] He spent his first year playing in the youth team and participated in the Honor Division when he was 16.[13] The 2000–01 season had started poorly, as Torres suffered from a cracked shinbone which kept him out of play until December.[13] Torres trained with the first team to get prepared for pre-season, but eventually made his debut on 27 May 2001, at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, against Leganés.[13] One week later, he scored his first goal for the club, against Albacete, and the season finished with Atlético narrowly missing out on promotion to La Liga.[13]
Atlético were promoted to La Liga at the end of the 2001–02 season, although Torres did not perform well in the season, as he netted only 6 times in 36 appearances in the Segunda División.[14] Torres' first season in La Liga, 2002–03, was better, however, as he scored 13 goals in 29 appearances, with Atlético finishing in 11th place.[13][14] In July 2003, soon after his takeover of the club, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich had a £28 million bid for Torres rejected by Atlético's board of directors.[15] In the 2003–04 season, his second in La Liga, Torres made further strides, scoring 19 league goals in 35 appearances,[14] meaning he finished as the joint third-highest scorer in the league.[16] At age 19, Torres was named Atlético's captain.[12] Atlético narrowly missed out on qualification for the UEFA Cup, but by finishing in seventh place in the 2003–04 season, they qualified for the 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup, giving Torres a first taste of a competition at the European level.[17] He scored two goals in the two fourth round matches against OFK Beograd, with one coming in each leg.[17] Atlético reached the final, but lost 3–1 on a penalty shoot-out to Villarreal following a 2–2 draw on aggregate.[17] FA Premier League champions Chelsea were believed to be interested in signing Torres during the summer of 2005, but Atlético club president Enrique Cerezo said that they had "no chance" of signing him.[18] Cerezo later said in January 2006 that the club was willing to listen to offers for Torres, and Torres claimed Newcastle United of the FA Premier League had made a bid to sign him in March.[19][20]
Torres stated after the 2006 FIFA World Cup that he had turned down an offer to join Chelsea at the end of the 2005–06 season.[21] He scored 14 league goals in the 2006–07 season.[14] The English media reported that he was the main transfer target of FA Premier League club Liverpool,[22] but Cerezo stated, "We've received no offer from Liverpool or any other club or player."[23] Days later, however, new reports suggested Atlético had agreed a deal with Liverpool for Torres; the fee was rumoured to be £25 million with Luis García moving to Atlético in a separate transfer deal.[24] On 30 June, Atlético announced a deal to sign Diego Forlán from Villarreal, in what was seen as a move to replace Torres before his departure became official.[25] On 2 July, it was reported that Torres had cut short a vacation to fly back to Madrid to finalise the move to Liverpool.[26] The following day, Torres passed a medical at Liverpool's Melwood training ground.[27] He held a press conference in Madrid on 4 July to bid farewell to the Atlético fans, before completing his move to Liverpool on a six-year contract.[27] The transfer fee was the highest in Liverpool's history.[25] In March 2008, manager Rafael Benítez stated in an interview with The Times that Torres was acquired for around £20 million, although this figure takes into account García's move to Atlético.[28]
Liverpool
2007–08 season
Torres made his competitive debut for Liverpool against Aston Villa in a 2–1 win on 11 August 2007.[29] He made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League four days past his first performance in a 1–0 victory over Toulouse, after coming on as a 79th minute substitute.[30] His first Premier League goal came on his Anfield debut on 19 August 2007, in the 16th minute in a 1–1 draw against Chelsea.[31] His first hat-trick came in a 4–2 victory over Reading in the League Cup on 25 September 2007, with all of his goals coming in the second half.[32] His first goals in the Champions League came on his third appearance in the competition as Liverpool beat Porto 4–1 on 28 November 2007, as he scored twice.[33]
Torres was named the Premier League Player of the Month for February 2008,[34] during which he scored four goals in four appearances, including a hat-trick against Middlesbrough on 23 February 2008.[35] This hat-trick and another in a 4–0 victory over West Ham United on 5 March 2008 meant he became the first Liverpool player since Jack Balmer in November 1946 to score a hat-trick in successive home matches.[36] Later in March, after he scored a 47th-minute header against Reading at Anfield, he became the first Liverpool player since Robbie Fowler in the 1995–96 season to score 20 league goals in a season.[37] In April, he scored another Champions League goal, this time against Arsenal in the quarter-final second leg, as Liverpool advanced to the semi-final.[38] This goal took him onto 29 goals for the 2007–08 season in all competitions,[35] eclipsing Michael Owen's personal record for goals in a season.[39] On 11 April 2008, it was announced Torres had made a six-man shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award,[40] which was eventually won by Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United.[41] The Spanish international was also nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year Award, which was won by Cesc Fàbregas of Arsenal and was named in the PFA Team of the Year.[41] In May, he finished second to Ronaldo for the FWA Footballer of the Year award.[42]
On 4 May 2008, Torres scored a 57th-minute winner against Manchester City, which equalled the consecutive Anfield league goal record of eight games set by Roger Hunt.[35][43] After scoring his 24th league goal in the final game of the season, a 2–0 win against Tottenham Hotspur, he set a new record for the most prolific foreign goal scorer in a debut season in England, eclipsing Ruud van Nistelrooy's 23 goals.[35][44] He ended the season in joint second place with Emmanuel Adebayor in the race for the Premier League golden boot.[45] Torres was subject to media speculation that Chelsea were willing to pay £50 million to sign him, but Torres responded by saying it would be "many years" before he left Liverpool.[46][47] Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks also negated the idea of a transfer, saying he would not allow Torres to leave the club at any price.[48]
2008–09 season
Torres made a scoring start to the 2008–09 Premier League season with a 25-yard shot into the bottom right-hand corner away at Sunderland, which was the only goal in a 1–0 win on 16 August 2008.[49] He suffered a hamstring tear in a 0–0 draw against Aston Villa, which would keep him out for two to three weeks.[50] Torres made his return in a 2–1 victory against Marseille in the Champions League and went on to score two goals in the Merseyside derby against Everton on 27 September 2008 to give Liverpool a 2–0 win.[51][52] He followed this up with another two goals the following weekend against Manchester City in a 3–2 win away at the City of Manchester Stadium as Liverpool came back from a two-goal deficit.[53] The first of these was the thousandth Liverpool goal to be scored in the Premier League.[54] Torres picked up a hamstring injury during a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier, meaning he was likely to miss three games for Liverpool.[55] On 22 October 2008, Liverpool played Torres' former club Atlético in the Champions League at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, but his injury meant he missed out on the game.[56] Atlético president Enrique Cerezo had given him a VIP invitation to watch the game, but he declined this to continue his rehabilitation from injury in Merseyside.[57] He was named in the FIFPro World XI team for the 2007–08 season on 27 October 2008.[58]
Torres made his return for Liverpool on 8 November 2008 after coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute in a 3–0 victory against West Bromwich Albion.[59] He said he would be interested in returning to former club Atlético eventually, saying, "I don't know if I will retire there, but I would like to go back and finish some things that are left to do."[60] He was ruled out of action for two to three weeks following Liverpool's 1–0 victory over Marseille in the Champions League in November, where he picked up a hamstring strain,[61] which was later extended to at least four weeks by specialists.[62] He was named on the shortlist for the FIFA World Player of the Year award in December,[63] and eventually came in third place behind Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.[64] Torres returned to action on 3 January 2009 as a substitute with a goal in the 2–0 win over Preston North End, his first in the FA Cup.[65] He scored two late goals for Liverpool to secure a 2–0 victory over Chelsea on 1 February 2009.[66] Despite having spent a year and a half at the club, Torres was chosen as number 50 in The Times's list of "The 50 greatest Liverpool players", reinforcing the impact he had made at Liverpool in such a short period of time.[67]
Torres faced his old rivals Real Madrid on 10 March 2009 in the Champions League last 16 and due to an ankle injury, he had a painkilling injection before the game to enable him to play.[68] He scored the first goal of the game, which ended as a 4–0 victory, meaning Liverpool progressed to the quarter-finals 5–0 on aggregate.[69] Four days later, he lined up against Manchester United at Old Trafford and he scored the equaliser in a game that finished as a 4–1 victory.[70] His goal celebration at Old Trafford endeared him to Liverpool fans when he held out his hand to United fans – making the "five times" gesture – signifying Liverpool's five Champions League titles (to United's three).[71] He was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the second season running in April 2009.[72] Torres scored his 50th goal for Liverpool on 24 May 2009 against Tottenham on the final day of the 2008–09 season, his 84th appearance.[73]
2009–10 season
Following the end of the season, Torres agreed a new contract with Liverpool,[74] which he signed on 14 August.[75] By signing, Torres had the option of a one-year extension after the contract's expiration in 2013.[76] Torres scored two goals in a 3–2 win over West Ham United on 19 September 2009, a result that took Liverpool to third in the Premier League.[77] One week later, he scored his first hat-trick of the 2009–10 Premier League season in a 6–1 victory over Hull City at Anfield.[78] He was named Premier League Player of the Month for September, after scoring five goals during the month and becoming the Premier League's top goalscorer.[79] On 25 October 2009, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 victory for Liverpool over Manchester United,[80] after which Rafael Benítez praised Torres' performance, saying, "We were waiting for that final pass. When it came we knew he would score."[81] Torres was named in the FIFPro World XI for the second successive season in December 2009.[82] His stoppage-time winning goal against Aston Villa on 29 December 2009 made him the fastest Liverpool player ever to score 50 league goals.[83] He was substituted on 65 minutes in a 1–1 draw with Birmingham City on 4 April 2010, which Benítez justified by saying Torres was "exhausted".[84] Torres made his last appearance of the season scoring twice in a 4–1 victory over Benfica in the Europa League on 8 April 2010,[85] and it was announced on 18 April that he would miss the rest of the season to undergo knee surgery.[86] This meant that Torres finished the season with 22 goals in 32 games in all competitions, finishing as Liverpool's top scorer for the second time.[85]
2010–11 season
Following Roy Hodgson's appointment as Liverpool manager, Hodgson stated that Torres would not be sold by the club, saying, "He is not for sale and we don't welcome any offers for him. We want to keep him."[87] Hodgson dismissed reports Torres was set to leave Liverpool by saying, "He has told us that he is looking forward to Monday, to getting back to work and looking forward to playing for Liverpool next season. That is what I know so other reports, I would suggest, are erroneous."[88] Torres stated his commitment to Liverpool on 3 August: "My commitment and loyalty to the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed."[89]
Torres made his first appearance of the 2010–11 season in the opening match, a 1–1 draw with Arsenal on 14 August 2010, entering the game as a substitute in the 74th minute.[90] He scored his first goal of the season with the winner in a 1–0 victory over West Brom on 29 August 2010,[91] his 50th goal at Anfield in all competitions.[92] Torres scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory at home to Blackburn Rovers on 24 October 2010, his first goal since August.[93] He scored his final goals for Liverpool in a 3–0 win away at Wolverhampton Wanderers on 22 January 2011.[94]
Chelsea
On 27 January 2011, Torres was the subject of a £40 million bid from Chelsea, which was rejected by Liverpool.[95] He subsequently handed in an official transfer request to Liverpool the next day, which was rejected.[96] Torres completed his move to Chelsea on a five-and-a-half-year contract on 31 January 2011 for an undisclosed fee reported to be £50 million, which set a new record for a British transfer and made him the sixth most expensive footballer in history.[97] He made his Chelsea debut on 6 February 2011 in a 1–0 home defeat to former club Liverpool.[98] On 23 April 2011, Torres scored his first goal for Chelsea against West Ham United in a 3–0 victory, which ended a run of 903 minutes of football without a goal.[99] This was his only goal for Chelsea in the 2010–11 season, having made 18 appearances for his new club.[100]