by Luca Caioli
Afterwards it’s his turn to speak: ‘I’m not surprised by the loyalty the fans are showing me. I was born an Atlético person, I’ve spent virtually all my life at this club, and I know what Atléti folk are like. I know that when I left some people didn’t understand it, but luckily, two years down the line, most people can understand it. I can see Atlético shirts here and some from Liverpool. Being united like that is the best possible news as far as I’m concerned. When I watch Atlético games on television and I see Liverpool shirts, it gives me an amazing sense of pride. It’s like when I see a lot of Atléti shirts at Anfield and it’s something I love. I have to say, I feel a part of both clubs, and that is the biggest and best thing I’ve ever had’.
The questions start …
How would you define the Atlético feeling?
‘It’s hard to put your finger on. I think you are born an Atlético person. There aren’t very many people who become fans of the red-and-whites on the way. Kids see Real Madrid winning and it’s one of the giants, so they become fans of the whites. In my class I was the only Atlético supporter out of 30 children. They were all Real Madrid fans. How did I handle it? Well, I had to put up with the jokes every weekend, but I felt more and more proud. I used to go to the ground to watch my team play and when we lost I thought, “oh well, we’ll win next week” … and when we won I was happy for the whole week afterwards. More important than the results there is the desire to support your team in the hope that one day they’ll get back up where they belong. I experienced the double as a fan, and when we went down as a fan, and as a player. Good things and bad things, and that’s what Atlético Madrid is like. But the main thing is that the ground is packed and the fans are devoted to their team. That’s what makes it different.’
Will you come back to Atlético?
‘Seriously, that’s not just down to me. Sure, I’d love to finish my career with Atlético, but you never know what strange turns events might take in football. But I intend to – let’s see after 2014 …’
Do you think your departure from Atléti has already been worth it or won’t this be true until you win some silverware?
‘I’ve achieved the two goals I set myself. I’ve seen Atlético grow in stature. They’ve played Champions League football, signed up some really good players, and are now a team that’s recognised in Europe – my team-mates at Liverpool talk about Atléti. That’s what I wanted when I left. Personally speaking, I think I’ve come on a great deal over these two years. In my first season at Liverpool I managed to score more goals than any other foreign player in the Premier League and I came third in the Golden Ball and the FIFA World Player awards. I’ve developed in footballing terms and it’s been Liverpool that has let me do that, because it’s a team that always plays at the highest level. That’s why I’m very happy with the decision I took.’
Do you get on better with the club people at Liverpool than with those at Atléti?
‘At Atlético there were people I had known since I was a kid, players who I was with in the junior levels and afterwards in the first team, and I knew the people at the club, the people working at the Vicente Calderón. Now, at Anfield, I’ve started from scratch and get on well with everyone. I’m not a person who has had or caused problems in the dressing room. I’ve always tried to be as consistent as possible because I know that it’s your team-mates who are going to make you a big name or not. I know that, in this sense, I’ve been lucky to be in two great dressing rooms.’
Who do you feel more at home playing with, Mascherano and Xabi Alonso or Xavi and Iniesta?
‘Luckily all four are really good. It’s very different though. English football is a lot faster … there’s hardly any play among the defenders and the midfielders before you’re upfield, and within two or three touches and moving really fast you’re suddenly in front of the other side’s keeper. With my playing style this has really suited me, but that doesn’t mean playing alongside Xavi and Iniesta isn’t a luxury. You just know they’re going to have the ball and you know you’re going to be more relaxed when it comes to finishing because you don’t have to worry. It’s a joy to know that the ball is safe at their feet. You know that you can send them a shocker of a ball and they’ll manage to keep it under control. If you get the chance to have Xavi and Iniesta in one place and Xabi Alonso and Mascherano in another, it’s just the best thing.’
How are things with Gerrard?
‘I wish I could play alongside him my whole life. He’s a player I admired from before, but from being on the pitch with him you realise that he’s even better and greater than you ever thought. When he’s on the pitch there’s nothing to be afraid of and you know he’s always going to be there, lift the team when the going gets tough, and always give you a hand. And in the dressing room he gets 10 out of 10 because he always makes himself available and always has a word of encouragement for you. I remember first coming to Liverpool and after having my medical I landed in Madrid to say goodbye to the fans. The first message I got was from him. It said, ‘welcome to the club’, and he hoped I could help the team bag some silverware. I wasn’t even a Liverpool player at that point. I had gone through the medical but I still had to put pen to paper, and here he was welcoming me on board. It’s a nice touch that makes you see what a great captain he is. I never managed to transmit that to my team-mates at Atlético when I was wearing the skipper’s armband because I wasn’t experienced enough …’
How did you know it was him? Did you notice his number?
‘Not his number or what he was saying either!’ (laughter and applause from the audience). I was with Jorge, who had to translate for me, because there was no way I was going to understand.’
Can you tell us how you felt the first time you went through underneath the shield that says ‘This Is Anfield’ and came out onto the pitch?
‘The fact is that Liverpool is a club with nice touches, which really looks after its history, and in that sense it’s very similar to Atléti. It remembers its legends and the greats who made it a big club and that little sign, which isn’t much more than a picture in the tunnel, means so much for a lot of people and has ended up as something special. On the day when I was presented, when there weren’t any people in the ground, I saw it when I walked past it but it didn’t mean much to me. But on my debut at Anfield against Chelsea … while the crowd was singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” … boy, that’s when it sinks in that you are in a special place and that the sign is special too.’
Who has given you more as a trainer, Rafa Benítez or Luis Aragonés?
‘I think both of them have. I’ve been with Luis for a long time. Since I was very young and starting out he’s taught me the fundamentals, both on and off the pitch. I was seventeen and he had seen everything as a player and as a trainer, he had a lot to teach me and I had a lot to learn. Those were the days when I had to listen, learn and keep my mouth shut. And then with Luis I’ve won the national team’s biggest trophy in the last 44 years. With Rafa I’ve made a big leap forward in terms of quality. He’s taught me a lot of things and made me improve areas where I was lacking, and he still does that because he’s a person who doesn’t stop in his everyday life, even for one minute, and tries to improve you in every detail and every move, while trying to explain to you why. He’s obsessed with you doing things because you understand why, because you understand the reason he asks you to do them. He doesn’t say to you, ‘Do this because I’m telling you to.’ That’s Benítez. I hope I’m with him many more years so that he can keep teaching me and I can win silverware with him.’
If Rafa Benítez were to be chosen as trainer of Real Madrid, would you go with him as a player?
‘Nooooo! Nooooo!’ Murmur the fans.
‘Rafa’s got a contract, like I have, that runs up until 2014 and I honestly hope that scenario doesn’t come about and that he doesn’t leave, but if he did, I wouldn’t follow suit.’ (Hearty applause from the seating area.)
If Barcelona and
Real Madrid made the same offer for you, which one would you go for?
‘I’d stay at Liverpool.’ (Applause)
Which striker from the Spanish Liga would you take with you to Liverpool as a partner in the attack?
‘I’d say Diego Forlán but no … because then I’d be taking him off Atléti. (Laughter again)
‘No … David Villa or David Silva. I wish they could come, it would be a great asset for our team.’
What would it take for Liverpool to win the Premier League?
‘We need match-winners like Rooney or Tévez, footballers who break the deadlock in matches. In fact, Liverpool is losing the Premier League in home games against average teams.’
What was your first press conference in English like?
‘I’ve never been so scared in all my life.’
By the media pressure?
‘No. In England there’s no pressure from the media. There’s no daily coverage of the team. There are no sports papers and the tabloids give it two or three pages, which is what the major informative papers do too. Training sessions are behind closed doors and supporters and journalists can’t attend. There are no interviews or press conferences, only when we played in the Champions’ League because UEFA makes us. Everything’s a lot calmer but the first time I did a press conference in front of dozens of journalists I had a lot on my plate. If you don’t understand a question … but I got through it okay. More or less.’
How did you feel when it turned out that Liverpool would face Atlético?
‘When I got injured in Brussels the first thing that went through my head was the Atléti match in the Calderón. There were only a few days to go and I already knew I wouldn’t be able to make it. It was really frustrating not to be able to be there and see people again. But then you learn to live with it, the match comes round and when I saw the two sets of supporters on television swapping shirts it was the best thing since sliced bread from my standpoint – imagine! There were a lot of people there that I thought would be upset with me for leaving but that wasn’t the case. After hearing my name chanted in the Calderón it became the best moment all season besides all the awards.’
What went through your mind when you scored against Real Madrid at Anfield?
‘It was a special moment for me because I hadn’t trained for the 10 days leading up to it. I was playing in a lot of pain and I had to cut a bit off my boot because my foot wouldn’t fit in it with all the strapping on. I was on the verge of not playing but I was really dying to. In the end I managed to play and imagine what it was like when I made it to the game and I scored … the knock-out game wasn’t decided because it’s Real Madrid we’re talking about and anything could have happened. But the feeling … it was incredible. It was worth the risk.’
How did you feel when you netted the winning goal in the European Championship against Germany?
‘It’s the sort of feeling you spend your whole life looking for. You dream of being a player when you are younger, you dream of playing in the first division, and when you are there, you want more, you want to play for your country, you want to play in a European Championship, in a World Cup, but they are such far-fetched dreams that you think they’ll never come true … and when that ball went in … you realise that all the dreams you ever had have come true. A feeling we did have was that we knew that Spain was united around us. I was in the street and to be responsible for that goal, for the feeling of unity the country experienced after so many years without lifting a trophy, is incredible …’
And now, having realised that dream, it doesn’t seem so hard to make others come true: to become world champions …
‘We’re going to go all out for the World Cup, obviously. In our situation we can allow ourselves to imagine that happening. While remaining wary and humble, like the national team always has been, I believe it’ll be virtually the same team from the European championship, but with two years’ more experience. We can learn from the few mistakes we made, get stronger and go for it at the World Cup. And hopefully in South Africa we can repeat our success.’
What do you need to be the same Fernando Torres for the national side as you are at Liverpool?
‘I suppose I’d have to get used to the style of football that they play in the Spain team much more quickly. It’s more elaborate than how they play at Liverpool and there’s more touching the ball. Plus changing your mindset isn’t easy when, like in the World Cup qualifiers, you only have two or three days to train. Switching from the mentality in the English system to the one in the Spanish Liga is something I still have to sort out.’
What is Vicente del Bosque like?
‘He’s very approachable and like another team-mate. He’s brought in a much more relaxed atmosphere.’
What would give you the bigger thrill, winning the World cup or the Champions League?
‘I don’t think I could decide. A World Cup is something that’s in every footballer’s mind, even more so now that it seems achievable and it’s just round the corner, but winning the Champions with my team would be really great. Either way then.’
What’s the best league in the world, the English or the Spanish?
‘It’s hard to say. I think that, as things stand, the English league is the most competitive in the world because it’s got four great teams that can go all the way in Europe’s biggest tournament. In the Liga this year there’s been one team like Barcelona, which has been better than the English ones, but that’s been one team and the other three semi-finalists were English teams, and we also lost to an English team. I think the Premier is stronger at the moment. It’s a league where Spanish players can fit in, as can others from all over the world. Each one has its moments though, and there have been seasons where the Italian League has been the best and now it’s the English, but things can change.’
Who is the best player in the world for you?
‘For me it would obviously be Gerrard, because I see him every day, though I think Leo Messi deserves the honour more than anyone else. He’s been the best this year. He’s won everything.’
And it comes to the last question … Torres, can I have my picture taken with you?
The request comes from Rubén Calvo, a ten-year-old lad with fair hair and big green eyes, clutching a Liverpool shirt. Fernando has no problem agreeing to this. He hasn’t forgotten the promise he made years back to Flori, his mother. That day, after watching the Spanish national side train in Boadilla del Monte, Torres went up to the internationals to get their autographs along with some other boys. No joy. He got into such a stew about it that he promised his mother that, if he should ever make it into their boots, he would never deny anyone a photo or an autograph. Now that he has arrived, El Niño does not forget, and el niño, with fair hair and big green eyes, smiles.
Career record
Personal summary
Full name: Fernando José Torres Sanz
Place and Date of Birth: Madrid, 20 March 1984
Parents: Flori and José. Sister: Mari Paz. Brother: Israel
Married: 27 May 2009
Wife: Olalla Domínguez Liste
Height: 186 cm
Weight: 78 kg
Early career
As a junior, played for Parque 84, Mario’s Holanda and Rayo 13
At eleven years old, scouted to Atlético de Madrid
Atlético de Madrid
Debut: 27 May 2001 v Leganés (home) Second Division
First goal: 4 June 2001 v Albacete (away) Second Division
Appearances
Liga 174 Goals 82
Copa del Rey 25 Goals 7
Became Atlético de Madrid captain in 2003 aged eighteen.
Liverpool
Debut: 11 August 2007 v Aston Villa (away) Premier League
First goal: 18 August 2007 v Chelsea (home) Premier League
Appearances
League: 57 Goals 38
F.A. Cup 4 Goals 1
League Cup 3 Goals 3
Europe
20 Goals 8
Spain
Debut: 6 September 2003 v Portugal (away)
First goal: 28 April 2004 v Italy (away)
Caps 67 Goals 22
Tournaments played:
European Championship 2004
World Cup 2006
European Championship 2008
Confederations Cup 2009
Honours won
European Championship 2008
European Championship Under-19, 2002
European Championship Under-16, 2001
Individual Honours
MVP for the Final of the 2008 European Championships
Premier League Silver Boot Winner (2007–2008)
MVP for the European Under-19s (2002) and Golden Ball winner
MVP for the Euro Under-16 (2001) and Golden Ball winner