Torres: An Intimate Portrait of the Kid Who Became King

plane, we got Barry, our pilot – we always had the same crew and even though some of the cabin staff had retired, they didn’t want to miss any of our trips – to tell us how the other game had ended up. When he said that Roma had won, the whole plane erupted into celebration. I was a bit puzzled because it seemed to me it would be better to play against Dundee. So I turned to Souness and asked him: “Do you think that’s good? Wouldn’t it be better if Dundee had won?” And he replied “No, because to play against Dundee would have been more of a British game. We’re going to Rome, to the Olympic Stadium, to win the European Cup final, and do it in their home. We’re going to make history.” And I said “And what if we don’t win?” He gave me a strange look and replied “How are we not going to win when we are the best team in the world?” No one had even considered the idea of losing.’

Nice story. Having seen what Liverpool is and what it represents, did you think that Fernando would have such a tremendous first season?
     
    ‘I was absolutely convinced he’d be a success at Liverpool. When I saw him play for the first time in Spain, having just celebrated his 17th birthday, I thought he could be another Van Basten – and I don’t say that lightly. It’s correct to say that he had seasons where his form took a dip but he had the whole team’s responsibilities on his shoulders and it was him who had to take the consequences. And talking in footballing terms, a good ball came his way about once every full moon. Two opportunities a match on goal was as good as it got and if he missed them and Atlético lost the game, then it was his fault. To put it simply, he was under huge pressure. At Liverpool it’s not the same and he’s surrounded by great players – no disrespect, of course, to his ex-Atlético team-mates – and the Benítez system suits him.’

In what way?
     
    ‘When Liverpool get the ball they open things up, create space. Fernando has fantastic pace and knows how to lose his marker, turn him and finish off the move – that’s his style. With Stevie (Gerrard) he’s formed a footballing partnership that works perfectly. To put it another way, the virtues of Fernando+Benítez’s system is 2+2 = 4 plus VAT.’

OK, tell me the truth. Do you like this Liverpool team?
     
    ‘I like Liverpool when I get the sensation that the batteries on Benítez’s remote have run out and the team is doing it’s own thing or is a bit angry. I like football less when it looks like a game of chess. But you have to recognise that Rafa is a maestro in knowing how to read a game and that his solid commitment to Torres has paid off.’

According to a survey in
The Times
, El Niño is Number 50 in the list of the best players in the history of Liverpool. What do you think?
     
    ‘Fernando is a true idol. He has the capabilities to be another Ian Rush or Kenny Dalglish. I’m certain that with his qualities, and if he stays at the same level, he is going to write a really important chapter in the history of Liverpool. He’s not a scouser like Gerrard or Carragher, he hasn’t emerged from the Merseyside soil, but he’s not a foreigner either, because he wears the red shirt. He’s another example of the type of fans Liverpool has – a club where the manager, five players and six members of the technical staff are Spanish. And one has to say that between Torres and the Anfield fans, the marriage is perfect. We have a Number 9 who scores goals and wins matches in the last minute. If he’s injured – ooooh! – we begin to get worried. At the moment, Liverpool is Torres, Gerrard and nine others.’
    It’s now lunchtime and afterwards, Michael Robinson has to return to the studio to edit the latest edition of his
Informe
programme, which, in this case, is a day spent talking football with Johan Cruyff, discussing everything from a pressing game to the speed of play – concepts that remind ‘The Cat’ of endlessly hearing the manager in his sleep telling him, ‘Get it, give it, go!’ And that prompts the final anecdote before he leaves. ‘We were going to play against Tottenham. In the coach, the manager asks me, ‘Michael, do you hunt?’ ‘No, I don’t like hunting,’ I replied. ‘Well, it doesn’t matter. Imagine that we are going to go hunting for hares and we come across one motionless in its burrow. We could kill it. But if it runs, and runs rapidly, it’ll be very