Torres: An Intimate Portrait of the Kid Who Became King

Guus Hiddink). On 2 July, the Spanish Football Federation appointed Iñaki Sáez as his successor, but before getting down to work with the grown-ups, he wanted to finish the job with the juniors: ‘I had taken them through to qualification, so I wanted to go with them to the finals,’ he says, now retired from the Federation. After a long round of golf and a restorative shower in his holiday home in Tenerife, he talked with pleasure about that July in Norway and Fernando Torres: ‘The year before, he had made his debut with Atlético Madrid’s first team and with Luis Aragonés as manager. That season, he had been important for getting the team promoted to the Primera División. He was very good and stood out because of his speed and strength, qualities which, at that age, always create problems for opponents. He was full of promise – a youngster who’d always scored a lot of goals in all the leagues he’d played in. One could see that he had a lot of potential and that there was still room to improve various aspects of his game. Our objective, as coaches of the national team, was to improve how he received the ball with his back to his opponent and to play it as quickly as possible. In other words, that he would be able to use to the full the enormous skills that he had. In the dressing room, he was a very cheerful lad, an important person. He symbolised the attack and his team-mates had confidence in him because he always got them out of trouble. He got on tremendously well with Iniesta and you could see this on the pitch. And I saw it in the final.’
    But staying in chronological order, there were three more matches to play before arriving at the final. The first, a Group A tie against the Czech Republic, finished 1-1. Fernando is not on the score-sheet. In the second, Iñaki’s youngsters find themselves up against the hosts – a straightforward game because the Norwegians, apart from honest effort, commitment and a competitive spirit, don’t put up much resistance. The first goal comes in the 22nd minute, when the keeper can only parry Torres’ rocket of a shot and José Antonio Reyes (later of Arsenal) is on hand to pick up the loose ball and score. Nine minutes after the restart, Iniesta feeds Fernando, who beats Larsen to make it 2-0, with Reyes scoring again in the 68th minute to close the proceedings at 3-0. In the last match they meet Slovakia, who had put five past the Czech Republic and scored another five against Norway to give them a maximum six points and make them the highest-scoring team in the tournament. The only result that will see Spain through to the final is a win.
    However, things start going wrong almost immediately. A free-kick on the edge of the area and Cech finds the back of the net off the left-hand post: 1-0. Then, just before the interval, Sergio equalises, thanks to a calamitous error by Konecny, one of the opposing defenders who fails to clear. Then, in the second half, Torres takes to the stage and, in injury time, diverts a superb cross from Carmelo into the net to make the final score 3-1 to Spain, who make the final. There they will meet Germany, managed by Uli Stielike – someone who knows Spanish football well. During the 1977–78 season, after spending four years at Borussia Mönchengladbach, he joined Real Madrid to become a pivotal figure in the midfield, remaining there for eight seasons. The Spaniards hold him in high regard and he has much respect for his opponents.
    He recognises that Spain has players with better technical skills than his, and the trio of Torres, Iniesta and Reyes give him concern: ‘They are very good from the midfield to the front line and very skilful on the ball,’ he explains. Iñaki’s assistant, Santisteban, picks out the same players: ‘Iniesta directs the play as if he has had years of experience, Reyes creates all sorts of problems, and Torres? Well, I think he’s amazing, He can cover a huge amount of ground, he’s courageous, smart with the ball at his feet, skilful and ready to create space between defenders and not be afraid. If he gets a kick he gives three back and won’t give way. He’s not frightened of physical contact, is always willing to have a go and has a winner’s mentality. He knows he’s good, what he can achieve, and that conviction makes him similar to players like Raúl – strong characters who don’t give up.’
    Santisteban, also an ex-Real Madrid player, is confident about the result of the