Torres: An Intimate Portrait of the Kid Who Became King

Liverpool?
     
    J.H. ‘He’s got accustomed really quickly to life in England. Also, because he’s a very home-loving guy and he likes the quiet life. Sometimes he goes out at night but most of the time he stays in with Olalla watching films or programmes on Spanish TV. And sometimes they go to Pepe Reina’s house or Pepe and Yolanda go to his house. Olalla and Yolanda have become great friends. And with Riera as well. They meet up whenever they can.’

What does he really love doing?
     
    J.H. ‘He still likes the Playstation and Pro Evolution Soccer. He listens to music, all the favourites, El Canto del Loco, Andrés Calamaro, Joaquín Sabina, Nirvana, Duncan Du. And later, he likes it when he can go walking with his dogs. When he’s got a free day, he’ll go off on a trip to explore the country. I don’t think he’s changed his life much in England. Apart from one thing, which, to be honest, really shook me. Fernando has always eaten everything but now, in the morning, he also likes sausages and beans for breakfast with a coffee. They give it him in Melwood and he’s got used to it.’

Is he calmer and more relaxed than he was in Madrid?
     
    J.H. ‘He seems like that to me because there the media don’t hassle you, nothing like the extent to which that happens here. There the paparazzi don’t go after you. You can get on with your life without any hassle. He and Olalla go out walking, they go shopping at the supermarket and it’s no problem. The people, the fans are very respectful. I was out walking with him and I was surprised because before they even asked Fernando, they always asked me if they could take a picture of him.’

What do you talk about now when you meet up?
     
    J.H. ‘We don’t talk much about football, which might seem strange, but that’s how it is. We don’t want to bore him with that and besides, there’s much more to talk about than just football.’

OK then, what do you think of his success in England?
     
    J.H. ‘When I was there, it surprised me how much the people really love him.’

Why?
     
    ‘I don’t know really … He’s fallen on his feet because he’s a really nice guy.’
    A.S. ‘And one has to say that he’s a great football professional. He hasn’t got to be almost as popular as Gerrard just because he’s got a pretty face. No, Fernando has worked hard and one’s got to say that he deserves what he’s now got. No one has put him up there.’

Do you envy him for his money, fame and success?
     
    J.H. ‘No, he deserves it all.’
    A.S. ‘Me, yes! As a striker I’ve always envied his liveliness and power.’

Chapter 33
The Kid
     
    29 May 2009 Conversation with Fernando Torres
    Here is The Kid – who’s not such a kid any more. Last 20 March he turned 25. On 26 May, when Rome was hogging the limelight in the footballing world for the Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United, Fernando José Torres Sanz got married to Olalla Domínguez Liste, his lifelong girlfriend. A registry office wedding at the town hall in El Escorial (a town some 50 km outside Madrid and a tourist attraction due to its monastery). Olalla, who has lived with Fernando since 2004, is seven months pregnant. Yes, the kid is going to be a father. But he will never manage to shake off the nickname he was given when he got into the Atléti first team. A kid who has signed a new contract with Liverpool up to 2014. A kid who is the only crack player to own all of his own image rights. His earnings have soared in the last few months. He has lent his name to advertising campaigns by Banco Gallego, El Corte Inglés and Nike. Together with Leo Messi he will be the face of Pro Evolution Soccer 2010. A star – and he is welcomed as such at the Hotel Meliá Avenida de América in Madrid.
    It’s twelve in the morning and 700 people await his arrival. They are friends, Atléti and Liverpool fans, boys and girls; fifteen-year-olds who are crazy about the blond angel. His entrance is worthy of a rock star – hysterical screaming included. Hair as fair as could be, immaculate white shirt, black jacket, faded jeans, black trainers with white laces. Fernando sits down at the table of the Marca Sports Forum. He greets everyone and listens to the brief words from Eduardo Inda, the director of the Madrid sports paper, from José Antonio ‘Petón’ Martín, someone who has known him ever since he was a small boy, and José Antonio Abellán.
    Afterwards it’s his turn