Torres: An Intimate Portrait of the Kid Who Became King

just one upfront. Then you need to see how many of them have the technical ability to move up into attack. That’s the true game plan. Everything else is just baloney.’

Let’s talk about how well Torres and the other Spanish players have settled in at this historic club …
     
    ‘Yes, Torres and the Spanish players are very well integrated. First, because there is a Spanish manager and second, the players all play for the national side. They are top-class. Reina is a great goalkeeper and now he’s been there four years, having been signed when he was 23. Arbeloa is a superb player. Riera – I had thought about as a possible signing for Madrid (when manager of Real Madrid). And with Xabi Alonso there’s no debate. They are all footballers with great technical ability, which, in league matches where pressurising, running and strength are crucial, allows them to shine.’

It’s impressive to see how Torres has become an idol for the fans at Liverpool …
     
    ‘He and Gerrard are indisputably the Reds’ two heroes. In my opinion, that has given Torres self-confidence, which he didn’t have 100 per cent in a team like Atlético Madrid because he was born there, he grew up there and was pampered by the club. In short, at Madrid he felt young, with no responsibility, while at Liverpool the responsibility has made him mature rapidly.’

It seems that
El Niño
understood straightaway the values of the club. How is that possible?
     
    ‘I don’t know. I believe that all the great teams have a special chemistry. You feel it, you breathe it, and they can transmit it to you. You live it. And in a club like Liverpool there is a “passing on of the baton”. The older players hand it on to the younger ones and make sure they understand how this process works. Another important and attractive element of the game is the crowd and the support they give you throughout the match. At Anfield, the fans are very generous with players who give their all. When you come onto the pitch and you hear them singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, you feel something extra and a special responsibility on your shoulders towards all these people who really do, in effect, never leave you alone.’

Would you be pleased to have Torres at your disposal for the England side?
     
    ‘Let’s not talk about that. We have excellent English strikers. I don’t want to talk about England.’

OK let’s talk instead about the past, Euro 2008 and the influence of Torres in the Spanish national side …
     
    ‘As I was saying, at Liverpool he’s matured and he’s brought this maturity into the national side where he’s achieved a lot and, above all, scored the winning goal in the final. After the fantastic season he’d enjoyed with the Reds and the spate of goals he’d scored, it was certain he was going to be one of the stars of Euro 2008. And for me Spain were, on paper, the team with the best players and one of the four favourites, together with Germany, France and Italy.

The strike pairing of Torres and Villa at Euro 2008 had all the commentators drooling and the Liverpool fans dreaming of seeing the two playing together in red shirts. How do you see them?
     
    ‘They play together really well. Torres is the centre forward, while Villa moves off him. He has very good movement off the ball, with excellent technical and shooting skills.’

As he demonstrated in the friendly against England last February?
     
    ‘Yes but we don’t talk about that.’

Let’s go back a bit to your last period as manager of Real Madrid. What was your impression then of Torres?
     
    ‘His potential was obvious but it was still a work in progress. He hadn’t yet transformed from the chrysalis into a butterfly.’

Nevertheless, in the away match of the 2006–07 season with your Real Madrid team, it was he who scored the first goal, while in the home match there was controversy following your comments on an incident involving Torres …
     
    ‘Ah,
el tramposo
, the “cheat” controversy – I remember it well. In the second half, after making contact with Sergio Ramos, Torres fell in the penalty area and rolled around as if he’d been elbowed – so much so that the referee sent off my defender. For me, I don’t like it when a player goes in for diving in order to deceive the referee and gain an advantage for his team. At the press conference after the match, I wanted to make a point about this but I didn’t know exactly which word to use. My