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Fernando Torres

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Personal information
Fernando Torres

Full name	Fernando José Torres Sanz
Date of birth	20 March 1984 (1984-03-20) (age 24)
Place of birth	Madrid, Spain
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Liverpool
Number	9
Youth clubs
1995–2001	Atlético Madrid
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2001–2007 2007–	Atlético Madrid Liverpool	214 (82) 018 (10)
National team²
2003–	Spain	045 (15)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:50, 2 January 2008 (UTC). ² National team caps and goals correct as of 12:00, 3 September 2007 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

Fernando Torres Sanz (born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football player currently playing for Liverpool. He was born in Fuenlabrada, a large suburban town south of Madrid. At 17, he became the youngest player to play for Atlético Madrid and, two years later, the youngest to become its captain. In the five seasons preceding his move to Liverpool from Atlético, Torres scored 75 goals in La Liga, a feat only bettered by Samuel Eto'o and David Villa during the same period. Prior to that, Torres also played two seasons in the Spanish second division, where he scored seven goals in 40 appearances. Torres is nicknamed 'El Niño' (The Kid).

1 Early career
2 Club career
- 2.1 Atlético Madrid
- 2.2 Liverpool
3 International career
4 Career statistics
5 Career honours
6 References
7 External links

Early career

From an early age, Torres developed a bond with Atlético Madrid. His grandfather wasn't passionate about football in general but prided himself in being an Atlético supporter, and the younger Torres soon inherited his love for the club.^[1] When he was 7, the young Torres started playing regularly in an indoor league for his neighbourhood club, Mario’s Holland, as a forward. Three years later, aged 10, he progressed to playing for an 11-side team, Rayo 13. After an impressive season with his new club, in which he scored 55 goals, Torres was one of three Rayo 13 players who earned a trial with Atlético Madrid. He impressed the scouts and, aged just 11, joined the club in 1995.^[1]

Club career

Atlético Madrid

1995-2000: Atlético youth team player

After progressing through the ranks for a few seasons, Torres won his first important youth title in 1998. Atlético sent an under-15 team to compete in Nike Cup Europe, against youth teams from prominent European clubs including Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Manchester United and Juventus. Atlético won the tournament, with Torres their leading player. He was later voted the best player in Europe for that age-group.^[2] In 1999, aged 15, Torres fulfilled his childhood dreams and signed his first contract with the club. He spent his first year playing in the promising Atlético youth team, but it was in the following season that he really made his mark.

2000-01: Debut season

The 2000–01 season had started badly, as Torres suffered a broken leg that kept him out of action until December, but that proved to be only a temporary setback. In February 2001, he was part of the Spanish under-16s team that won the Algarve Tournament, in May he was part of the same team that won the 2001 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship and by the end of the season he was playing for Atlético's senior team. Torres's first team debut on May 27 2001, at El Calderón, against Leganés. A week later, he scored his first goal for the club, in a game against Albacete.^[1]

2001-02: Promotion to La Liga

2001–02 saw Atlético win promotion back to La Liga. The then-17-year-old Torres didn't have the best of seasons in front of goal, though, netting only six times in 36 appearances in the Segunda División. In November, Torres represented Spain at the 2001 FIFA Under-17 World Championship. He scored one goal in three games, but the team didn't progress past the group stage. Later that season, in July, Torres won the 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. Again he scored the only goal in the final and ended as the tournament's leading goalscorer (4 goals in 4 games) and best player.^[2]

2002-03: La Liga debut

2002 saw Atlético Madrid returning to La Liga, the first division of Spanish football. In his first season playing in the top flight, Torres did not find the transition from second-tier football too much of a hindrance, and he scored 13 goals in 29 appearances as Atlético finished 12th. He also made his debut for the Spanish under-21 team.

2003-04: Atlético captain

In 2003-04 season Torres made further strides, and he scored 19 league goals in just 35 appearances. Aged just 19, he was also named Atlético's club captain. Atlético also improved, to 7th, but narrowly missed out on an automatic UEFA Cup place on the final day of the season by virtue of an inferior goal difference in their head-to-head record against Sevilla (2-1, 0-2). However, Atlético's 7th place finish in 2004 did allow them to compete in the Intertoto Cup, giving Torres his first taste of European club competition. They made the final, but lost on penalties, this time to Villarreal.

2005-07: Transfer speculation

After the 2006 World Cup, in which Torres participated as a member of the Spanish national team, the striker admitted that he had turned down the chance to join Chelsea at the end of the 2005-06 season.^[3] And following the 2006-07 season, Torres's future at Madrid was once again the subject of speculation after Atlético's inability to secure an automatic UEFA Cup spot. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United were all linked with a move for the player,^[4] with reports in the English media stating that Torres was the main transfer target of Liverpool.^[5] The rumours reached such a fever pitch that Atlético president Enrique Cerezo made a statement saying, "We've received no offer from Liverpool or any other club or player."^[6] However, a few days later new reports suggested Atlético had agreed a deal with Liverpool for Torres; the fee rumoured was £20 million with Luis Garcia moving in the opposite direction in a separate transfer deal.^[7] Then on 30 June Atlético announced a deal with Villareal to sign Diego Forlán, which was seen as a move to replace Torres before his departure had become official.^[8]

2007: Leaving Atlético

On July 2 it was reported Torres had cut short his holiday to fly back to Madrid to finalise the move. The following day, Torres passed a medical for Liverpool and it was announced that a farewell press conference would be held in Madrid the on 4 July to bid farewell to the Atlético Madrid fans. Later that day, Atlético officially confirmed his transfer to Liverpool on their website.^[9]

Liverpool

At £20 million, Torres is Liverpool's record signing. It was widely reported that Torres took a pay cut as part of the transfer – a drop from £103,000 a week in Spain, to about £90,000 according to The Times.^[10] Along with Steven Gerrard, Torres was one of two Liverpool players nominated for the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year.^[11]. He did not reach the final shortlist of three players for this award. On August 11, Torres made his competitive debut for Liverpool against Aston Villa in a 2-1 win. He scored his first English Premier League goal on his Anfield debut on August 19, in the 16th minute in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea. Torres scored his first hat-trick for the club on September 25 in a 4-2 away win against Reading in the League Cup.^[12] On November 28, Torres scored his first two Champions League goals for the club in a group game against F.C. Porto, which the Reds won 4-1.^[13] Currently, Torres is Liverpool's leading goalscorer of 2007–08, both in the Premier League and in all competitions, with 10 and 16 goals respectively.

International career

In February 2001, Torres won the Algarve Tournament with the Spain under-16 team. In May, the under-16s took part in the 2001 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship, which they also won, with Torres scoring the only goal in the final.^[2] He finished as the tournament's leading goalscorer (7 goals in 6 games) and was also voted the best performer. In 2003, Torres made his senior debut for the full Spanish national team on September 6, 2003 in a friendly against Portugal. His first goal for Spain came against Italy on April 28, 2004. Torres was chosen as part of the Spanish squad for Euro 2004. He only appeared as a late substitute in Spain's first two group games, but made the first eleven for the deciding game against Portugal. Spain lost 1-0 and were eliminated. At his first ever appearance in a World Cup finals at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Torres scored the final goal in a 4-0 victory over Ukraine with a volley. In the second group match, Torres scored twice against Tunisia, in the 76th minute for Spain to take the lead 2-1 and then again from a penalty kick in the 90th.

Career statistics

**All-Time Club Performance**
Club	Season	Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
Club	Season	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals
Liverpool	2007-08	18	10	0	0	1	3	5	3	24	16
Liverpool Total		18	10	0	0	1	3	5	3	24	16
		La Liga		Copa del Rey		-		Europe		Total
Atlético Madrid (Primera División)	2006-07	36	14	4	1	-	-	-	-	40	15
	2005-06	36	13	4	0	-	-	-	-	40	13
	2004-05	38	16	6	2	-	-	5	2	49	20
	2003-04	35	19	5	2	-	-	-	-	40	21
	2002-03	29	13	2	1	-	-	-	-	31	14
Atlético Madrid (Segunda División)	2001-02	36	6	1	1	-	-	-	-	37	7
Atlético Madrid (Segunda División)	2000-01	4	1	2	0	-	-	-	-	6	1
Atlético Madrid Total		214	82	24	7	0	0	5	2	243	91
Career Totals		232	92	24	7	1	3	10	5	267	107
Last updated 2nd January, 2008^[1]

Career honours

Atlético Madrid

Winner
- 2001-02 Segunda División
- 1998 Nike Cup Europe (an under-15 youth cup)

Spain

Winner
- 2001 Under-16 Algarve Tournament
- 2001 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship
- 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship

Personal Awards

Winner
- 1998 Top under-15 European player
- 2001 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship: Top goalscorer (7 goals in 6 games), Best player
- 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship: Top goalscorer (4 goals in 4 games), Best player

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Fernando Torres official site. Retrieved on December 5, 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lowe, Sid. "Will Torres be Kop's new God or just another Fernando?", The Guardian, 2007-07-04. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
^ 'Flattered' Villa to stay with Che. Sky Sports (2007-02-06). Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
^ Premiership - Summer transfer latest. Article on eurosport.yahoo.com (June 17, 2007). Retrieved on June 30, 2007.
^ Torres is Reds' number one target. Article in the Liverpool Echo (June 20, 2007). Retrieved on June 30, 2007.
^ Atlético deny Torres rumours. Article on skysports.com (June 25, 2007). Retrieved on June 30, 2007.
^ Liverpool Seal Torres Deal. Article on goal.com (June 29, 2007). Retrieved on June 30, 2007.
^ Liverpool to land £26.5m Torres. Article on news.bbc.co.uk (June 30, 2007). Retrieved on June 30, 2007.
^ Fernando Torres has been transferred to Liverpool. Report on clubatleticodemadrid.com (July 3, 2007). Retrieved on June 30, 2007.
^ The forward thinking that helped bring £20m Torres to Liverpool. Article on www.timesonline.co.uk (July 5, 2007). Retrieved on December 5, 2007.
^ Road to Zurich begins in earnest. Article on www.fifa.com (October 9, 2007). Retrieved on December 5, 2007.
^ Reading 2-4 Liverpool. Article on news.bbc.co.uk (September 25, 2007). Retrieved on December 5, 2007.
^ Liverpool 4-1 FC Porto. Article on news.bbc.co.uk (November 28, 2007). Retrieved on December 5, 2007.

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by ?	Atlético Madrid captain 2003–2007	Succeeded by Maxi Rodríguez

• • e Spain squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup
1 Casillas • 2 Salgado • 3 Pernía • 4 Marchena • 5 Puyol • 6 Albelda • 7 Raúl • 8 Xavi • 9 F. Torres • 10 Reyes • 11 L. García • 12 A. López • 13 Iniesta • 14 Xabi Alonso • 15 Sergio Ramos • 16 M. Senna • 17 Joaquín • 18 Fàbregas • 19 Cañizares • 20 Juanito • 21 David Villa • 22 P. Ibáñez • 23 Reina • Coach: Aragonés