FERNANDO TORRES

TEAMS PLAYED FOR

Liverpool (England): 2007 – present
Atlético Madrid (Spain): 2001 – 2007
Atlético Madrid (Spain): 1995 – 2001 (Youth team)

BIO

Fernando Torres (full name Fernando José Torres Sanz) was born on March 20, 1984 in the Fuenlabrada neighborhood of Madrid, Spain. His passion for Atlético Madrid and soccer in general started early. His grandfather was a big supporter of the team which led Fernando to become the supporter of the team as well.
Living in the soccer-crazy neighborhood of Madrid, Torres joined his first team, Parque 84, at the age of 5. The interesting thing is that Fernando joined the team as a goal keeper. When he turned 7, he began playing as a striker in his neighborhood indoor league.
Over the next few years, he developed his soccer skills well enough to impress the scouts of Atlético Madrid who invited him to join the team in 1995.

CLUB CAREER

In 1999, Torres signed his first contract with the club and at the end of the 1999–2000 season he was part of the first team. His next success was at the European Under-16 Championship in England in 2001, where he finished as the Player of the Tournament en route to Spain's victory.
At the time, Newcastle United manager Bobby Robson was apparently informed of Torres' talent by a Newcastle scout. Robson, however, decided against a move for the Spaniard.
After progressing through Atlético youth team, Fernando became the youngest player ever to play for the main Atlético Madrid team and later on became the youngest captain in team’s history (at age 19). Nicknamed “El Niño” (The Kid) for his youthful face, Torres scored 55 goals over 5 seasons in the Spanish top flight, with only Samuel Eto'o and David Villa scoring more in the same period.
Aside from reaching the final of the Intertoto Cup in 2003, Atlético Madrid did not have much success on the European arena. After failing to qualify for the UEFA Cup in 2007, Torres’s future at the club was the subject of much speculation. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United were all linked with a move for the player. Following the end of the 2006-07 season, reports in the English media stated that Torres was the main transfer target of Liverpool. After lengthy negotiations between the clubs, it was confirmed that Torres would join Liverpool on a £27 million transfer fee.
Torres made his official debut for Liverpool F.C. on July 17, 2007 during a friendly match against Werder Bremen. Torres scored his first goal for Liverpool F.C. on August 3, 2007 during a friendly match against Shanghai Shenhua, which was also his first start. He scored his first English Premier League goal on his home debut August 19th, in the 16th minute of the match against Chelsea.

NATIONAL TEAM CAREER

Torres made his debut for the senior Spanish National Team on September 6th, 2003 in a friendly against Portugal. His first goal for Spain came against Italy on April 28, 2004. Because of his amazing performance for his club, he was selected for the Spanish team for UEFA Euro 2004.
Fernando scored 7 goals in 11 appearances in qualifying for 2006 FIFA World Cup making him team’s top scorer in qualification.
It was widely expected that a good performance for Spain at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany would boost Torres' already significant demand among major European clubs. At his first ever appearance in a World Cup finals match, Torres scored with a spectacular volley helping Spain to a win over Ukraine. In the second group match Spain rallied from a 0-1 deficit against Tunisia to win 3-1. Torres scored in the 76th minute for Spain to take the lead 2-1 and then again from a penalty kick in the 90th minute. In total Torres scored three goals at the World Cup which made him team’s top scorer of the tournament along with David Villa.
The highlight of Torres’s career up to this point probably came during 2008 UEFA Euro tournament in Austria-Switzerland. Fernando was featured in every game and contributed by scoring important goals including the winning goal in the final against Germany. Due to his brilliant performance, he was named to the Team of the Tournament.

PERSONAL INFO

Torres is married to his high-school sweetheart, Ollala, with whom he has been in a relationship since 2001. They have a daughter Nora, who was born in 2009. Fernando is very accessible and likes to give out autographs. He believes it is his duty to the fans.

TITLES AND AWARDS

Atlético Madrid

Segunda Division: 2001-2002

Liverpool

Top scorer: 2007-2008
EPL Player of the Month: February 2008

International

UEFA European under-16 championship: 2001
UEFA European under-19 championship: 2002
UEFA European championship: 2008