Striker
49 Goals
81 Appearances (as of 4/25/2009)
Signed from Atletico Madrid in 2007 for 20.2 mil (and Luis Garcia, to be fair)
BACKGROUND BEFORE LFC
The young Spaniard known as “El Nino” (I don’t have that cool little mark to put above the n) had quite the career already before joining Liverpool despite joining the club at 23. As captain of Atletico as a TEENAGER, Torres had experienced having the weight of the world on his shoulders at a high-pressure environment from a very young age. That experience surely helped him up the ante once he joined the Reds, and he lived up to the hype placed upon him whilst at the Madrid side. As a youngster, Torres was winning accolades and tournaments everywhere he went. Voted as the best player of the U-16 EUROS, including scoring the winner in the 1-0 win over France, and winning a place in the Atletico side at the tender age of 15. In his first full season as a 16 year old, Torres scored 6 goals and helped Atletico regain their status as a La Liga side having been in the second division. Fernando Torres followed a few brilliant seasons by yet again scoring the winner in his national team’s youth final, this time for the U-19’s, where once again he became the player of the tournament. By 2006, he WAS Atletico Madrid and made it into Spain’s World Cup side, where he scored three times. By the end of the following season, though, Torres knew his time was up in Spain. He needed a fresh challenge, having scored 90 times for a side that relied far too much upon him. For him to truly grow, he would need to find a club that would have players that could make him better rather than vice versa. As the captain, hero, and legend of his club at such a young age, it still wasnt’ even about the pressure… he loved Atletico Madrid. It was merely an issue of upping his game. And he chose Liverpool, thankfully!
SIGNING FOR, AND SETTLING INTO, LFC
The transfer saga surrounding Fernando Torres was less dramatic than one might expect for a player of his caliber. Signed in the early stages of the transfer summer of 2007, Torres was widely heralded by pundits as the player that would either make or break this Liverpool team. A successful season from Torres could lead to Liverpool’s progress as a side… but a dreadful flop of a season would halt the momentum and bring the team back to the dark days of the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 seasons. It was a reasonable claim, but Torres knew what pressure was all about and was not at all phased. He was pumped up about the opportunity to join Liverpool, whose purchase of him at 20.2 mil + Luis Garcia looks like an absolute bargain these days! It did not take long for Torres to settle, either. Nando immediately wiped away images of Cisse, Morientes, Baros, and other striker disasters and was banging in the goals by the second match of the season, scoring his first against arch rival Chelsea by embarrassing the shorts off of the Chelsea defensive unit. Well played, kid! It truly didn’t take him long to become a Kop idol, and it has been clear to everyone that he was indeed the player that would make us better and HAS made us better.
STYLE OF PLAY
What can you say about Torres that would truly express his worth? You could always start with the goals. At the time of writing, Torres has scored 49 times for the Reds despite only having about a season and a half worth of action. His 49 goals had come in only 81 matches, which is an astounding rate given the competitions he has played in. So yes, his style of play is scoring goals for fun. But it isn’t just the goals. It is how he SCORES them that defines his style. He is the type to dance around players, but not in a one-trick-pony “teenage Cristiano Ronaldo” fashion (in fairness to Ronaldo, he’s morphed into a two or three trick pony). He is creative in approach, and loves to exploit the weaknesses of his opposition. A classic example was against Vidic at Old Trafford, who does not like being turned left. So what does Torres do? He harries him, makes him turn left, and boom. Goal. Typical Torres. The third aspect of Torres is power. He may be tricky, but the venom in his shot is quite spectacular, as is his pace. When he gets moving, he doesn’t slow down and his shots just seem to fly in. El Nino has a great left foot, an even better right foot, and is one of the best headers of the ball from any striker in Europe. He has everything. Dribbling, hustle, positioning, shot accuracy, and I haven’t even mentioned his ability to link up with players around him! Watching Torres play with Gerrard is a sight to behold.
The telling stat? When Torres and Gerrard have both started in a match together, Liverpool have NEVER lost a Premiership game. There you have it. He’s a winner!
BEST MOMENTS
Once again, where do I start? Torres has had an unbelievable impact on the red half of Merseyside. Goals in the big contests, goals that have made the mouth drop, and his link-up play with Gerrard have all impressed. But to me the moment that defines Torres was his winning header against Portsmouth this 2008-2009 season. You might wonder why I’d pick a random Premiership match when there are plenty of other moments, like his glorious goal against Arsenal in the Champions League. Or his double over Chelsea at Anfield. Or perhaps his mazy dribbling masterpiece over Marseille. Goal-of-the-Season contenders against Middlesbrough in 07-08 and against Blackburn in 08-09 are also moments that could be considered. And then there were the two consecutive hat-tricks over Boro and West Ham. But the goal against Portsmouth for me takes the cake. We had been dreadful during the month of January and BADLY needed a lift. Down 1-2 to Pompey, who themselves had been even worse than us, I was beginning to wonder if the great start to our season could ever be recovered. Kuyt nodded it up at 2-2, and with only seconds or so to play, Torres powered in a header into the top corner at Fratton Park to make it 3-2. As a supporter, you occasionally have those moments where you crumple into a heap and cry. Don’t ask if you haven’t experienced it. But this was one of these moments for me. It was EXTREMELY needed, as my personal life itself at that time was in need of a lift. Torres does that for supporters week in, week out. LEGEND.
TOUGH TIMES
Tough times for Torres have really only ever revolved around injuries since he has been at Liverpool. The winter and early autumn of this 2008-2009 season saw Torres experience hamstring and ankle problems. Will he become like Owen, or will he get over it? Liverpool are hoping, praying, and even sacrificing their first-borns for the “get over it” option.
2008-2009 SEASON VERDICT
Not as prolific statistically as in 2007-2008, but nevertheless playing extraordinarily well. Injuries have blighted his campaign, but yet he has still managed 16 goals in 35 appearances, which is still an outstanding strike rate. And some of those goals have been absolutely critical towards our success. A double against Manchester City, a late long winner at Sunderland to open the season, his late double over Chelsea, “that” Portsmouth header, the opener against Real Madrid, his double against Arsenal in the 4-4 classic… does it ever end for Nando? His strike against Blackburn, though, showed his class to the world that yes… he’s back and healthy. Lovely strike, and perhaps it will be voted as goal of the season. I hope it does, anyhow. Liverpool’s number nine, as the song goes, has been important yet again in an improved attacking side and has yet again combined well with Gerrard. He has been magnificent when healthy, and we still rely on him greatly. It has been a very good sophomore year for Senor Torres.
LFC CAREER VERDICT
If this were a grading scale out of 10 points, you’d have to give him a 10 out of 10. No joke, no exaggeration. Since Ian Rush of the 1980s, Liverpool have not had a player with this sort of scoring impact. Fowler and Owen were superb for us at times, but for both their game was limited to goals and goal-creation. Torres does more than that for the side, much like Rushie did. He also contributes defensively and has that extra little edge to his game that makes him a little bit less one-dimensional. This is not a knock at all upon the legendary exploits of Owen and Fowler. Both were unbelievable talents. But Torres, as mentioned earlier, offers more overall, including being a more influential figure in improving those around him. He will go down, unless there are injuries in the next few seasons, as one of the best 3 strikers in our club’s history. No doubt about it in my mind that he’ll be placed as part of a trinity of greatness with Rush and Dalglish. That’s the impact he has had, and I expect it fully to go that direction. Let’s just keep his hammies healthy, and we’ll see more legendary stuff from the young Spaniard. Remember, he is only 25…
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