Torres: An Intimate Portrait of the Kid Who Became King

European Cup. In December 1994, he left for Queen’s Park Rangers, spending two seasons there before moving to Spain, playing for Osasuna (in Pamplona).
    ‘I arrived the day of Reyes (the day in Spain for giving Christmas presents), 6 January 1987, so now I’ve been living here for 22 years!’ That’s right, because after retiring from football in 1989, ‘The Cat’ – as he was called by his friend, the Liverpool captain, Graeme Souness – has transformed himself into one of the best-known faces and voices on Spanish television and radio. ‘I am’, he says, ‘the only English footballer on Spanish TV. I’m still alone on the podium.’ He has commentated on both rugby and football matches, taken part in countless panel discussions, all in his unmistakable English accent, dubbed the voice of the ugly sister in the
Shrek 2
&
3
films and had the honour of being represented in the Spanish equivalent of
Spitting Image
on the
Canal+
television channel, with his puppet figure taking the role of programme presenter, no less. On
Canal+
as always, he now presents
Informe Robinson
(Robinson Report), a series looking at all aspects of the world of sport. To talk with him and listen to his everlasting stories is a pleasure. He knows Liverpool very well, a city and club close to his heart, as well as Fernando Torres, who was the subject of one of his programmes.

How did he seem to you when you went to film at Anfield?
     
    ‘He surprised me a lot. In a short space of time, he’d learned what Anfield means, the badge, the fans, the value of the shirt, the power of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. Straight away, he realised what it means to play for Liverpool. And what it means is: to play for the people. And remember that there’s no code of conduct or style book – this isn’t something you study, it’s something you feel. When I was there, I remember that just before going out on to the pitch, Sam, who was in charge of the dressing room, would call us and open the door just as “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was reaching its climax. And the manager, Joe Fagan, would tell us, as in
Hill Street Blues
(the US police TV series of the 1980s), when Captain Furillo was giving his advice before going out on patrol, “Don’t forget these people, we are always in their debt.” And that’s because the people of Liverpool give you everything they have. They have an amazing generosity and you have to give everything you have. You have to be on their level. At Anfield, the fans blow at you. It’s like a wind that pushes you towards the opponents’ goal.
    ‘And it doesn’t only happen at home games. I remember the Champions League final in Istanbul against Milan. At half-time I was completely disheartened. I was hoping that the punishment wouldn’t be any greater than the 3-0 that Ancelotti’s players had inflicted on us. But from the stands where the Reds were in the majority, they started to sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. Stevie (Gerrard) told me later that he’d heard it in the dressing room and that it gave everyone encouragement, it made them feel that they couldn’t betray those people. They had to give it everything. At Liverpool, you have to feel the shirt. Bill Shankly said it was no accident that the strip was red. Liverpool was a working-class city, with strong trade unions, where there was a lot of poverty. The people didn’t have money but what they did have was dignity and a creed and Anfield and Goodison Park were their temples, where they went to sing their songs, where they went to live a dream. And Liverpool, one mustn’t forget, has always been the team of the people, a different value and a very strong one
.
The footballer, as Shankly used to say, had to bring happiness back to the people of Liverpool. And you couldn’t show off or flaunt your wealth. When Robbie Fowler bought a yellow Ferrari, the manager took him to one side and said he’d made a double-error: that the Ferrari should be red and that no Liverpool player could drive around the city in such a flash car. He was forced to take it back. It’s just an anecdote but it shows the spirit of the club. Ah, another example of what Liverpool is occurs to me … [
Pauses to light cigarette
]
    ‘… We were coming back from Bucharest after beating Dynamo. The other semi-final was Dundee United v Roma. Back then they didn’t play all the matches at the same time like they do now in the Champions League. When we were in the