He may be known as The Kid, or El Nino, but within months of arriving at Liverpool the Anfield faithful were talking of Fernando Torres in the same breath as Dalglish, Fowler, Owen and Rush. Armed with pace, touch, movement and devastating finishing, Torres made the transition from the Spanish La Liga to the rough and tumble of the Premiership with hardly a break in his elegant stride. With a Liverpool record price tag of £20 million on his head the ice cool Torres introduced himself to the Kop with a goal against Chelsea on his Anfield debut.
Torres had been the target for a host of top sides, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United joining in the chase. Anyone who had followed Torres' career with Atletico Madrid and Spain up until that point would not have been surprised. At just 17 the precociously talented Torres was the youngest player to play for Atletico and the club's youngest captain two years later. By the time he left the Madrid club he had notched up 82 goals in 214 appearances.
Torres made his full international debut for Spain as a 19-year-old in September 2003 against Portugal and was a member of the Euro 2004 squad and the 2006 World Cup side in Germany. At his first ever World Cup finals Torres scored three goals, including a fine volley against Ukraine.
In February 2008 Torres scored three times against Middlesbrough, repeating the feat 11 days later against West Ham to become the first Liverpool player to score hat-tricks in consecutive matches since 1946. When he scored with a header against Reading in March 2008, he became the first Liverpool player since Robbie Fowler to score 20 goals in a season. After just half a season at Anfield Torres was nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year award to rubber stamp one of the most impressive starts to any player's career in the famous red shirt. The Kop knows a gem of a player when they see one, and before his first season at Liverpool was up they had taken him to their hearts.
Born20 Mar 1984
Place Of BirthMadrid, Spain
Height1.85 m (6' 1'')
PositionStriker
ClubsAtletico Madrid, Liverpool
CountrySpain
Major Club HonoursAtletico Madrid: Segunda Division, 2002