Fernando Torres

Personal information
Full name	Fernando José Torres Sanz
Date of birth	20 March 1984 (age 25)
Place of birth	Madrid, Spain
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Liverpool
Number	9
Youth career
1995–2008	Atlético Madrid

Fernando José Torres Sanz (born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football who plays for Premier League club Liverpool and the Spanish national team as a striker.

Torres started his career with Atlético Madrid, progressing through their youth ranks. He made his professional debut in 2001 and finished his career with the club having scored 75 goals in 174 La Liga appearances, earning the nickname El Niño ("The Kid"). Prior to the La Liga debut, Torres played two seasons in the Segunda División, making 40 appearances and scoring seven goals. He joined Liverpool in 2007, after Liverpool signed him with the club's record transfer fee. He marked his first season at Anfield by being the Liverpool's first player, since Robbie Fowler in 1995–96, to score more than 20 league goals in a season.

He is also a Spanish international and made his debut for the country against Portugal in 2003. He has since participated in three major tournaments, UEFA Euro 2004, 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008. He did not score a goal at Euro 2004, but he scored three at World Cup 2006. Torres scored the winning goal for Spain in their 1–0 win overGermany in the Euro 2008 final.

Early career

Born in Madrid, Torres became interested in football as a child and joined his first team, Parque 84, at the age of five. His father José worked during Torres' childhood, and his mother Flori daily traveled with him to training sessions. His grandfather was not a passionate football fan, but took pride in being an Atlético Madrid supporter, and Torres inherited the love for the club.

Torres started playing football as a goalkeeper, the position his brother played in. When he was seven years old, however, he started playing regularly as a striker in an indoor league for the neighborhood club, Mario’s Holland, using the characters from the animeCaptain Tsubasa as inspiration. Three years later, aged 10, he progressed to an 11-side team, Rayo 13. He scored 55 goals in a season and was one of three Rayo 13 players to earn a trial with Atlético Madrid. He impressed the scouts and joined the club in 1995.

International career

n February 2001, Torres won the Algarve Tournament with the Spain under-16 team. The under-16s took part in

the 2001 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship in May, which they also won, with Torres scoring the only goal in the final, as well as finishing as the tournament's leading scorer, and was also named the player of the tournament. In November 2001, Torres represented Spain at the 2001 FIFA Under-17 World Championship, but the team failed to progress through the group stage. In July 2002, he won the 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. He finished as a top scorer, was named player of the tournament, and was again the only goalscorer in the final.

Torres made his senior debut for the senior Spanish national team on 6 September 2003 in a friendly againstPortugal. His first goal for Spain came against Italy on 28 April 2004. He was selected for the Spanish squad for UEFA Euro 2004. After appearing as a late substitute in Spain's first two group games, he started for the deciding game against Portugal. Spain were losing 1–0, and towards the end of the second half, hit the post.

He scored seven goals in 11 appearances in qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, making him Spain's top scorer for qualification, including a vital brace against Belgium and his first international hat-trick againstSan Marino. At his first ever appearance in a World Cup finals at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Torres scored the final goal in a 4–0 victory over Ukraine with a volley.^[68] In the second group match, Torres scored twice against Tunisia, first in the 76th minute to take Spain 2–1 into the lead, and then again from a penalty kick in the 90th. With three goals, he finished the tournament as Spain's top scorer along with fellow striker David Villa.

He was called up for Spain's UEFA Euro 2008 squad, where he set up Villa to score Spain's first goal of the tournament in the first game in the group stage against Russia. Torres came under criticism for apparently refusing to shake the hand of Spanish manager,Luis Aragonés, after being substituted He subsequently denied being angry with the coaching, saying that he was actually "angry with himself". He scored his first goal of the tournament in Spain's next game, a 2–1 win over Sweden. Torres scored the winner and was named the man of the match in the final against Germany in a 1–0 victory. He said, "It's just a dream come true. This is my first title and I hope it's the first of many. Victory in a Euro, it is almost as big as a World Cup. We are used to watching finals on television, but today we were here and we won. My job is to score goals. I want to win more titles and be the most important player in Europe and the world. He was later named as a striker along with his striking partner Villa in the Team of the Tournament.

Torres made his 60th appearance for Spain in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification victory over Turkey on 28 March 2009, becoming the youngest player to reach this milestone. In a season plagued by injuries, he missed out on a number of qualification matches, but scored against Chile after coming on in the second half for Villa. He was named in Spain's team for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in June. He scored his second hat-trick for Spain after 17 minutes into a Confederations Cup game against New Zealand on 14 June,thus recording the fastest hat-trick by a player for Spain.

Personal life

Torres married Olalla Domínguez Liste on 27 May 2009 in El Escorial, Community of Madrid, with whom he has been in a relationshipwith since 2001. It was revealed in February 2009 that the couple are expecting a baby, which they later confirmed to be a girl. In 2009, it was reported that Torres has a personal fortune of £14 million.

Torres features in the video for "Ya Nada Volverá A Ser Como Antes" by Spanish rock group El Canto del Loco, whose singer, Dani Martín, shares a strong friendship with the footballer. He makes a cameo appearance in the 2005 comedy film Torrente 3: El protector.

Club career

Liverpool

Torres playing forLiverpool against Middlesbrough on 23 February 2008, during which he scored a hat-trick

Torres made his competitive debut for Liverpool against Aston Villa in a 2–1 win on 11 August 2007. He made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League four days later in a 1–0 victory over Toulouse FC, after coming on as a 79th minute substitute. His first Premier League goal came on his Anfield debut on 19 August, in the 16th minute in a 1–1 draw against Chelsea. His first hat-trick came in a 4–2 victory overReading in the League Cup in September, with all of his goals coming in the second half. His first goals in the Champions League came on his third appearance in the competition as Liverpool beat FC Porto 4–1, as he scored twice.

He was named the Premier League's player of the month for February, during which he scored four goals in two league appearances, including a hat-trick against Middlesbrough on 23 February 2008. This hat-trick and another in a 4–0 victory over West Ham United on 5 March 2008 meant he became the first Liverpool player since Jackie Balmer in November 1946 to score a hat-trick in successive home matches.Later in March, after he scored a 47th minute header against Reading at Anfield, becoming the first Liverpool player since Robbie Fowler in the 1995–96 season campaign to score 20 league goals in a season. In April, he scored another Champions League goal, this time against Arsenal in the quarter-final second leg, as Liverpool advanced to the semi-final. This goal took him onto 29 goals for the 2007–08 season in all competitions, eclipsing former Liverpool favourite Michael Owen's personal record for goals in a season. On 11 April 2008, it was announced Torres had made a six man shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award, which was eventually won by Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United. The Spanish international was also nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year Award, which was won byCesc Fàbregas of Arsenal and was named in the PFA Team of the Year. In May, he finished second to Ronaldo for the FWA Footballer of the Year award.

Torres during Liverpool's 3–2 victory againstManchester City on 5 October 2008, in which he scored a brace.

On 4 May 2008, Torres scored a 57th minute winner against Manchester City, which equalled the consecutive Anfield league goal record of eight games set by Roger Hunt.After scoring his 24th league goal in the final game of the season, a 2–0 win againstTottenham Hotspur, he set a new record for the most prolific foreign goal scorer ever in a debut season in England, eclipsing Ruud van Nistelrooy's 23 goals. He ended the season in joint second place withEmmanuel Adebayor in the race for the Premier League golden boot. Torres was subject to media speculation that Chelsea were willing pay £50 million to sign him but Torres responded by saying it would be "many years" before he left Liverpool. Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks also negated the idea of a transfer, saying he would not allow Torres to leave the club at any price.

Torres made a promising start to the Premier League 2008–09 season, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 away win against Sunderland. He suffered what was later confirmed as a hamstring tear in a 0–0 draw against Aston Villa, which would keep him out for two to three weeks. Torres made his return in a 2–1 victory against Olympique de Marseille in the Champions League and went on to score a brace in the Merseyside derby against Everton on 27 September to give Liverpool a 2–0 win. He followed this up with another two goals the following weekend against Manchester City in a 3–2 win away at the City of Manchester Stadium as Liverpool came back from a two goal deficit. The first of these was Liverpool's thousandth Premier League goal. Torres picked up a hamstring injury during a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier, meaning he was likely to miss three games for Liverpool. On 22 October, Liverpool played Torres' former club Atlético Madrid in the Champions League at the Vicente Calderón, but his injury meant he missed out on the game. The Atlético president, Enrique Cerezo, had given him a VIP invitation to watch the game, but he declined this to recover his rehabilitation from injury in Merseyside. He was named in the FIFProWorld XI team for the 2007–08 season on 27 October.

Torres made his return for Liverpool after coming on as a 72nd minute substitute in a 3–0 victory against West Bromwich Albion. He said he would be interested in returning to former club Atlético eventually, saying "I don't know if I will retire there, but I would like to go back and finish some things that are left to do. He was ruled out of action for two to three weeks following Liverpool's 1–0 victory over Marseille in the Champions League in November, where he picked up a hamstring strain,which was later extended to at least four weeks by specialists. He was named on the shortlist for the FIFA World Player of the Year award in December, and eventually came in third place behind Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Torres returned to action on 3 January 2009 as a substitute with a goal in the 2–0 win over Preston North End; his first in the FA Cup. He scored two late goals for Liverpool to secure a 2–0 victory over Chelsea on 1 February. Despite having spent a year and a half at the club, Torres was chosen as number 50 in The Times's list of "The 50 greatest Liverpool players", reinforcing the impact he had made at Liverpool in such a short period of time.

Torres faced his old rivals Real Madrid on 10 March in the Champions League last 16 and due to an ankle injury, he had a painkilling injecting before the game to enable him to play. He scored the first goal of the game, which ended as a 4–0 victory, meaning Liverpool progressed to the quarter-finals 5–0 on aggregate. Four days later he lined up against Manchester United at Old Trafford and he scored the equaliser in a game that finished as a 4–1 victory. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the second season running in April 2009. Torres scored his 50th goal for Liverpool on 24 May against Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the 2008–09 season, which was his 84th appearance. Following the end of the season, he signed a new contract with Liverpool, which improved his terms and included the the option of a one year extension after its expiry in 2013.

What is The Kids

He's not called the Kid because of his youthful looks, but because he was actually a kid at the time of his debut. The nickname remained.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.35.236.52 (talk) 22:41, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

Translation of 'El Niño' for 'The Kid' is wrong. 'Niño' in spanish means 'male child'. If it would be 'The Kid' in spanish the translation should be 'El chico' or 'el chaval'. But I guess now that's impossible to change. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.209.64.135 (talk) 23:19, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

'El Niño' (The Kid). Clearly FT didn't get the nickname just because he looks young. If that was the case then other every young player who ever broke into a senior side would also be nicknamed 'El Niño' or 'The Kid'. The nickname came out not so much because he looked young, not even because he was young, and because he was young and very talented.

Now, I realise this is a perhaps contentious thing to say, but, well, what I've just written is rather obvious, isn't it?

I realise I can't provide a citation (although I am looking for one; I speak a bit of Spanish so that helps) but can anybody provide me with a citation that says the nickname is only because he 'looks young'? I haven't found any source that says that either.

(I think you'd have just as hard a time finding any cite-worthy source to explain why Steve McManaman's nickname was 'Shaggy', or why Michael Owen was called 'St Michael'. Sometimes things are just unspoken or, at the least, not spelt out in literal terms.)

I'm tempted to ask the webmaster of FT's official website for his input on the matter.

What do others think?

Wiakywbfatw (talk) 00:15, 11 December 2007 (UTC)

Asking the webmaster of his site really wouldn't help 1) we couldn't cite it 2) we shouldn't really be using his site for as a source (it's not independant of the subject). Wikipedia has a rule that verifiability is more important than the truth. If you can't prove it in a way that every reader can verify then it shouldn't be in the article. Finally a spanish source wouldn't be any use either, it needs to be an english one. John Hayes^talk 00:19, 11 December 2007 (UTC)

Well actually that's not entirely true, you could use a Spanish, but only if you follow WP:RSUE. John Hayes^talk 00:26, 11 December 2007 (UTC)

Fair enough, verifiability is more important than the truth. Ill accept that, but where has it been verified that 'Torres is nicknamed 'El Niño' (The Kid), as a reference to his youthful appearance'? I've never seen one reference that says that, either in English or in Spanish.

Short of someone cite-worthy spelling it out ("Fernando Torres is called 'El Niño' (The Kid) because...") then how exactly do you verify any explanation for his nickname? Wiakywbfatw (talk) 00:55, 11 December 2007 (UTC)

You probably can't, in which case it should be deleted, which is what I will do now. John Hayes^talk 08:04, 11 December 2007 (UTC)

OK, I've searched high and low (I ignored all the fan sites, etc because of NPOV) and I've managed to find two cite-worthy English language sites that have something that can be used:

1. 'He is nicknamed El Niño (The Kid), because of his youth.'

2. 'The player nicknamed El Nino (The Kid) because of his youthful appearance was selected for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where he scored three goals.'

Which do you want to go with?

The first of these two pages, rather ironically, seems to have a good deal of information, despite being a year or so out of date. Certainly nothing that I've read there has been contradicted elsewhere, so there's no reason to doubt the veracity of any of its content in a historical context. Some of its info regarding FT's transfer speculation in 2005 and 2006 is quite interesting and I may include and cite some of it at a later date.

(By the way, when I suggested asking the webmaster of FT's official site it was because he could perhaps recommend third-party sites that could provide some verifiable evidence.)

Thanks for keeping me focused on NPOV and verifiability, by the way. I still believe that the nickname is to do with talent at such a young age (after all, you have to be talented enough to rise to a level where people are saying "damn, that guy is young" and your youth/youthful looks compared to those of the people around you become a talking point) but without the verification I guess that I'll just have to shelf it.

Wiakywbfatw (talk) 11:34, 11 December 2007 (UTC)

I guess those two sources combined should be enough to cite that. Ideally we shouldn't use the Liverpool site as it's not independent of the subject, but in this case this is hardly a serious issue, so I'm happy to use it. John Hayes^talk11:53, 11 December 2007 (UTC)

Oddly, I think that Liverpool's official site is a bad source of information on such things. I've known them to copy one of my wikipedia biographies almost word for word in the past. I wouldn't put it past them to have "borrowed" information from this article to put together their Torres bio. aLii (talk) 12:34, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Very true. John Hayes^talk 22:53, 24 March 2008 (UTC)