Anyone lucky enough to be a teenager in the late 2000s that was addicted to the Premier League will tell you they had one icon and one icon only – Fernando Torres. The Spanish striker was an absolute revelation during his first two years in England, scoring magical goals for fun and almost single-handedly – alright, he had some assistance from Steven Gerrard – leading Liverpool back to the promised land.
Before his arrival at Anfield, El Niño – as he was affectionately known – was already a European household name. He had become the youngest captain in the history of Atletico Madrid at the age of 19 before bursting onto the global stage at the 2006 FIFA World Cup with three goals in the group stages. A move to one of Europe’s elite appeared to be a formality, and Rafa Benitez forked out £20m for his services in the summer of 2007.
From then on, Torres enjoyed a roller coaster of a career in England, firstly in Merseyside and then controversially in London. But just who is Fernando Torres? Here is all you need to know about everyone’s favourite number nine.
Fernando Torres’s Net Worth 2023
$90,000,000
Early Years
Fernando Jose Torres Sanz is a Spanish professional football player and manager who has made a name for himself as one of the best players in the world. Born on March 20, 1984, Torres grew up in the small town of El Poblado de Fuenlabrada, where he developed his love for the game of football.
At age 10, Torres was already playing for his hometown club, Parque 84, and quickly made a name for himself in the city. In 1999, he joined the famed Atletico Madrid youth team and was promoted rapidly to the whole squad in 2001. It was with Atletico Madrid where Fernando Torres truly flourished and established himself as one of the most dangerous strikers in Europe. Throughout his first spell with the club, however, silverware eluded him. That would come later on.
Big Money Move To England
In 2007, Torres was signed by Premier League club Liverpool and was immediately met with great success. On his Anfield debut, the Kop’s new hero netted a brilliant goal against Chelsea. And more goals were to follow.
The former Atletico man netted 24 goals in just 33 Premier League games during his first season on Merseyside. He also fired an additional six goals in the Champions League as Liverpool reached the competition’s semifinals for the third time in four seasons. That would end in heartbreak, however, with Chelsea eventually progressing in extra time after a two-legged epic.
More goals would follow in his second campaign at Anfield – fresh from scoring the winning goal for Spain in the Euro 2008 final – but unfortunately, so would injury woes. Torres was limited to just 24 Premier League appearances in 2008/09. However, he did manage to find the net on 14 occasions.
OddsChecker, which provides football odds and free bets, had made Manchester United the favourites for the Premier League crown that season. Liverpool pushed all the way, though. Torres scored in an unbelievable 4-1 win at Old Trafford in mid-March, but in the end, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men had too much for the Reds. Champions League heartbreak at the hands of Chelsea would also once again be waiting for them, this time at the quarter-final stage.
Torres’ injury difficulties would continue into the 2009/10 season. He was once again limited to just 22 appearances that term; however, he still found the net on 18 occasions. Following the culmination of the club season, he would enjoy his finest hour, leading Spain to their first and only World Cup triumph in South Africa.
During his three-and-a-half-year stint at Liverpool, he scored 81 times in 142 appearances and was a consistent goal-scorer. Trophies had eluded him, however, which persuaded him to shock the footballing world in January 2011.
Swapping Liverpool For Archrivals Chelsea
It was a transfer deadline day we will never forget. Chelsea had lured Fernando Torres to Stamford Bridge for an eye-watering £50m before Liverpool replaced their outgoing hitman with the overpriced Andy Carroll. Both signings would end up being as bad as each other.
It took Torres ten games to finally get off the mark for the Blues, scoring his first goal for the club in a 1-0 victory against West Ham in April 2011. But it was clear for everyone to see that the injuries had taken their toll, and the famous number nine was a shadow of the player that we had seen at Anfield. In his first entire season at Stamford Bridge, Torres could muster up just 11 goals in 49 appearances, the worst strike rate of his career. One of those goals, however, was single-handedly worth the £50m price tag.
Chelsea was facing Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in the semifinals of the Champions League, and to make matters worse, captain John Terry was sent off early in the first half. With the match evenly poised at 2-2 on aggregate – but with Chelsea set to progress on away goals – the Catalonians were piling on the pressure as the minutes ticked away. Then, Torres managed to break away in injury time and was all alone in the Barcelona half. He rounded keeper Victor Valdes, rolled the ball into an empty net, and sparked scenes, unlike anything Chelsea Football Club had ever seen before.
The club would win their maiden Champions League crown later that spring and the FA Cup. Torres would also lift the Europa League the following season, and his decision to leave Anfield in the hopes of picking up trophies was justified.
Return to Atletico Madrid
In 2015, Torres returned home to Atletico Madrid. The deal was initially meant to be a short-term loan, but El Niño played for Los Rojiblancos for another three years. During that time, he scored 38 goals in 150 appearances. He also led the club to a second Champions League runners-up medal in three years before picking up the Europa League – his only silverware with his hometown club – in 2018.
Torres’ career winded down in Japan before he eventually retired in 2019, finally able to enjoy the fruits of his labour, which has built him an estimated fortune of around $90m.
