Torres: An Intimate Portrait of the Kid Who Became King

club’s Number 9 shirt. The one that has graced legends like Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler.
    The tiered seating in the stands at Anfield forms the background. It’s a little after 3pm (UK time) when El Niño arrives to be presented to the media as a new player in the Merseyside squad. First, the signing of the contract that ties him to Liverpool for six years on a salary of 6.5 million Euros a season – a sum exceeded only by captain Steven Gerrard’s. Then the press conference in jacket and tie with the shirt collar slightly undone. One can see that the lad from Fuenlabrada is nervous. He talks in Spanish and says straight away that ‘the club is one of the best in Europe, a victorious club, its past and its present shows it. For me it was an opportunity which I couldn’t miss out on.’
    He looks to Benítez, always at his side, and explains:
    ‘We didn’t know each other personally but when I spoke to him for the first time … simply to know that Benítez had confidence in me is something incredible. And that a club like Liverpool, which can buy any of the best players in the world, should choose you to form part of the team comes as a surprise and fills you with pride. The fact that Liverpool are giving me the Number 9 jersey just goes to show the confidence they have placed in me, when considering those who have worn that shirt before me. But I’m not afraid of the responsibility that this brings.’
    Torres knows the expectations that his transfer has created, the most expensive in Liverpool’s century-old history (£26.5 million compared with the £14 million paid for French striker, Djibril Cissé, from Auxerre in July 2004). He knows that the public wants compensation in the form of goals. He hopes he can do it.
    Rafa Benítez, who doesn’t let him out of his sight for a second, maintains: ‘We have signed a youngster with a promising future ahead of him. He is the player we needed.’ There is no problem with responsibilities within the squad: ‘Crouch,’ he explains, ‘works hard and Fernando can hold up the ball, look to get round the defence and construct moves.’
    He stresses Fernando’s intelligence, his ability to understand situations in a flash, and gives, as an example, the fact that the lad had immediately understood what it means to touch the badge with the words ‘This is Anfield’ at the entrance to the tunnel leading to the pitch – perhaps the most frequently broadcast image on the British television reports.
    The Spanish manager reiterates Torres’ passion and competitive abilities: ‘He demonstrated these when he was only seventeen.’ When asked what his goal-scoring abilities will be, he responds: ‘I’m not going to put any pressure on him and say that he’s going to score more than twenty goals. I prefer to have four strikers who score fifteen each.’ He stresses the fact that ‘Torres wanted to come. He was very clear. It would be a disappointment if he doesn’t try to be a star.’ He also talks of his new acquisition’s feelings. Benítez has no problem in declaring them: ‘His heart will stay with Atlético and that’s normal. But one cannot doubt his professionalism. In his two final games with Atlético he played with an injured toe. He defended the club badge right up until the end!’
    Of course, his Atlético heart … Fernando confirmed it a few hours earlier in Madrid when, dressed in black as if at a funeral, he said goodbye to the Atlético fans in the Vicente Calderón stadium at 10.30am (9.30am UK time): ‘Wherever I am, my heart will always be red and white. This isn’t a goodbye, it’s a “see you later”. Atlético is my family. I hope to return one day, when the club is at the high level where it deserves to be,’ says El Niño who, with difficulty, manages to contain his emotions. He assumes responsibility for the transfer, saying that he had asked the directors to listen to the Liverpool offer.
    Taking this position goes down very well with the club, which does not want to appear as the guilty party in the departure of Torres. Enrique Cerezo, the club president – more relaxed after hearing what the blond youngster sitting at his side has said – wishes him good luck and adds: ‘Atlético understands and lets you leave in the hope that you come back soon. We don’t want this to be a sad farewell act but a happy one, as when people who are very close say goodbye to each other.’ To explain the mutual separation after twelve