Torres: An Intimate Portrait of the Kid Who Became King

first time. Incidentally, the one he wore at his presentation was put up for auction to raise funds for cancer research. The winning bidder was an Irish businessman, a die-hard fan of the club, who paid 7,300 Euros (just over £6,000). Coming back to the long-awaited debut, it’s the third friendly of the pre-season against the German side, Werder Bremen. Fernando comes on in the 64th minute in place of Andriy Voronin, who has scored the first and third goals for the Reds (the final score will be 3-2 for Benítez’s side). He plays for 26 minutes, despite a slight ankle problem. He has two good opportunities – one, when he gets the ball at his feet after a short kick by the keeper, but in the end shoots it straight back to the goalie, and the other when a long shot skims the bar. The friendlies continue in the Far East. From 24–27 July, Liverpool takes part in the Barclays Asia Trophy in Hong Kong, where they play against South China. This is not a good moment for Fernando. Actually to see him score, you need to go to the Port of Rotterdam Tournament on 3 August. He comes on in place of Jermaine Pennant and scores against Shanghai Shenhua. It’s a friendly of little value, the eighth of the pre-season, but a goal always goes down well. As Benítez says: ‘It’ll give him a lot of confidence with respect to the new season,’ and to those who harbour doubts about his new acquisition, he replies: ‘It reminds me of when Crouch signed for us. Everyone was asking when he would score his first goal. Now Torres has done it and he’s got rid of that pressure.’ The Premier League begins on 11 August.
    The first match is away at Aston Villa. The Kid is nervous and excited. He wants to make a good impression, he wants to score but fails. On seventeen minutes, a great left-foot shot goes high. In the 31st minute, he seems made. He picks up a loose ball on the edge of the area, goes round his marker and has only keeper Stuart Taylor to beat. He tries a shot with his left but it’s parried by the keeper. With the ball still in play, Dirk Kuyt gets halfway there before the defender and Villa captain, Martin Laursen, puts it into his own net: 1-0. Torres will reflect on that one. Then the captain takes care of things with a penalty to close the account on 1-2. A safe victory, Torres has been able to show his colours and show that he has learned the signals of the gaffer, who declares: ‘I’m very satisfied with the way that Fernando has played his first match against Aston Villa. Normally, players take their time to get established but it looks like he has adapted very well.’
    But there’s a snag that has to be overcome – a goal. The drought continues on Wednesday, 15 August, in France in the Champions League qualifying round game against Toulouse. Fernando only plays the last twelve minutes, coming on for Voronin. He makes his big entry. After six years of futile attempts, he’s in the top European club competition. But he doesn’t score. And the old, old ghost that’s pursued him for a long time (that of making too many mistakes) reappears. Four days later it disappears. Despite John Terry giving him a hard time and being determined to make Torres understand exactly what kind of footballing world he’s entered, The Kid can open his arms to the goal. And it’s only the first of an endless sequence.

Chapter 17
A perfect marriage
     
    Conversation with former Liverpool player, Michael Robinson
    The background of his iPhone screen is red. The image shows a figure wearing a Number 9 shirt, with blond hair and arms raised – Fernando Torres in front of the Liverpool badge. Smiling, Michael Robinson displays his mobile phone. He has been a fan of The Reds for as long as he can remember. ‘I was born in Leicester but a few years later my parents, for business reasons, moved to Blackpool, about 30 minutes from Anfield. Right from when I was a small boy I never missed a match in the Kop. I dreamed one day of being one of those players in the red shirt.’ A dream that became reality in 1983, when Liverpool paid £250,000 to Brighton and Hove Albion for the striker who had so impressed at Wembley in the FA Cup Final against Manchester United.
    Robinson spent just one season (1983–84) with the Reds, mostly as a reserve striker, trying to create a space for himself in-between Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush. But for him and the club it was a glorious year, winning the old First Division title, the FA Cup and the