Today marks ten years of what was then the most expensive transfer for a Spanish footballer. It was on Monday 31 January 2011, just hours before the winter market closed, when Chelsea paid Liverpool € 58.5million to add Fernando Torres to their ranks.
Fernando Torres celebrates a goal for Chelsea with John Terry.
“El Niño”, at 26, has not only become the Spanish player for whom one club paid a higher number for his transfer, surpassing the 48 million euros that Lazio paid Valencia for Gaizka Mendieta in July 2001 , but it was the most expensive transfer between English Clubs and the sixth in the history of football after those of Cristiano Ronaldo (94 million), Zinedine Zidane (75), Luis Figo (71.52), Zlatan Ibrahimovic ( 69, 5) and Kaká (65), all with Real Madrid except the Swede, joined by Barça.
Morata and Maguire take over today
Today, these “honors” no longer correspond to Fernando Torres. Since July 2017, Álvaro Morata has been the Spanish player who holds the signing record by investing 66 million euros by Chelsea to keep him away from Real Madrid.
And, as for the highest transfer between English clubs, Raheem Sterling surpassed it in July 2015 with the 63.70 million disbursed by Manchester City to Liverpool, while the record is now held by Harry Maguire with 87 “kilos. ”Which it cost Manchester United to sign. him from Leicester.
Outrage among Liverpool fans
Figures aside, Fernando Torres’ departure for Chelsea sparked a backlash from Liverpool fans, who saw him as an idol despite not winning a title since 2007, the coach of the Rafa Benítez then ordered his signing in exchange for 36 million euros. .
Fernando Torres changes from idol to traitor for Liverpool fans
Luis Suárez and Andy Carroll arrive in Liverpool
Three days earlier, Liverpool had signed Luis Suárez from Ajax for 26.5million and on the same 31st January he announced the arrival of compatriot Andy Carroll after paying Newcastle a record number at the time at the club. red ”(41 million).
The hiring of Carroll was a definitive indication of the imminence of the expected news of the previous days: the departure of Torres. After the definitive announcement, there were Liverpool fans who burned their shirts while queues formed to buy the one who would come to wear from that moment also with the “9” on the back but in the color “Blue”.
Statements that anger the “reds”
Torres’s first statements in his introduction as a new Chelsea player did not help allay the wrath of Liverpool fans, who, whims of fate, he would face on his debut the following Sunday.
“I have taken the most important step of my career, I will finally be able to fulfill my dream of winning a Champions League,” said Torres. “Chelsea is the type of club I like to play against, it’s the type of club I like to play for. It’s the goal of any player, so I’m very happy. Liverpool are in transition, they need time and I don’t have it ”.
I never kissed the Liverpool crest
Torres said “the football romance dead” and recalled that “I have never embraced the Liverpool crest. The only club that is close to my heart is Atlético ”. Before the controversy caused in Liverpool by his departure, his then partner Pepe Reina came to defend him.
Dalglish
Meanwhile, Kenny Dalglish, who ceased to be his coach at Anfield, didn’t give his departure any importance either. “Liverpool will continue to move forward without Torres and will get stronger and stronger. He’s been very poor all year except against Chelsea. Maybe he always wanted to go ”, launched the legendary former Scottish player of the“ reds ”.
Torres scored 7 goals in 8 games against Chelsea in the Liverpool jersey, including the last two, played in November 2010, at Anfield (2-0).
Start against Liverpool but don’t score
“I hope I can mark LIverpool when I debut, it’s like my destiny,” Torres proclaimed. It did not succeed. He played 66 minutes and his former team won Stamford Bridge (0-1).
The ‘Niño’ have signed for 5 seasons but their debut at Chelsea, led by Carlo Ancelotti on the bench and with Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka also on behalf of the attackers, were not good. In the second half of the 2010-2011 campaign, he scored just one goal in 18 games.
Score at Camp Nou and win the Champions League
In his second season, which André Villas-Boas started on the bench, he also failed to show his goal potential, scoring 11 goals in 49 games, but one of them did. made in the discount of the semi-final of the Champions League played at Camp Nou. which sealed the final 2-2 and the elimination of Barça after the 1-0 in London.
Torres and Sergio Busquets, in the Barça-Chelsea semi-final (return leg) of the 2011-2012 Champions League.
Roberto Di Matteo was already on the bench in an interim capacity, which led Torres to fulfill his great goal of proclaiming himself European champion, beating Bayern Munich in the final at the Allianz Arena on penalties (1-1 and 4-3). Didier Drogba, in his farewell match, scored the goal which forced overtime in the 88th minute and made the decisive shot in the penalty shoot-out.
Reunion with Rafa Benítez in his best season
Di Matteo also won the FA Cup this season with a 2-1 over Liverpool, with Torres on the bench, and was ratified for the next, but in November 2012 he was fired and was relieved by Rafa Benítez, with who Torres was reunited. following his stint at Liverpool, he set his best time at Chelsea, finishing this season with 22 goals in 64 games.
Torres, with the Europa League.
Win the Europa League with so much of your own
The most important, without a doubt, the one that opened the triumph in the final of the Europa League against Benfica in Amsterdam (2-1). Rafa Benítez left Chelsea with a title to make way for José Mourinho, who returned to the club after his triumphant first leg. Torres went through various stages of drought as a “blue” player and finished the 2013-14 season with 11 goals in 41 games.
Goodbye to Chelsea and the end of the race
In August 2014, the “Niño” was loaned to Milan and would not return to Chelsea, whose stage ended with 45 goals in 172 games against 81 in 142 for Liverpool. Of course, he won three titles: Champions, Europa League and FA Cup.
Torres was transferred permanently to Milan in January 2015, but a few days later he was transferred and returned to Atlético, who in July 2016 had already acquired him in ownership with the letter of freedom. In July 2018, he left the club of his life to embark on the Japanese adventure with Sagan Tosu and in August 2019 he hung up his boots.
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