Returning to Atletico Madrid is the perfect move for Fernando Torres, giving the former Spain international the best possible chance of finishing his career with a glorious final hurrah rather than slowly winding down with the subdued whimper we have witnessed in the last few years.
– #Quiz360: WIN dinner for 2 at Channels, Media Rotana
Let’s be realistic, Atletico fans should not expect him to become a goal-per-game marksman and single-handedly lead the team to domestic and European glory.
Torres, anyone can see, is nowhere near the player he was during his first spell with Atletico, after he broke into the team as a teenager and rapidly became the club’s most important and most popular performer before leaving for Liverpool in 2007. Since joining Chelsea five years ago, in fact, Torres has only managed to record 21 goals in 120 league appearances – an abysmal strike rate for a player once regarded as one of the best centre forwards in the world.
Furthermore, the effects of ageing have robbed the 30 year-old of his once-fearsome physical attributes. Whereas Torres at his peak was fast, powerful, relentless and incredibly balanced, now he often appears slow, clumsy and one-paced.
However, he is still regarded as a hero by Atletico fans, who remember a young and dynamic blonde bombshell of a striker who progressed through the youth ranks, played every game with maximum effort, missed chances but always came back for more and never hid the passion he felt for his boyhood club. The esteem in which Torres is still held was clearly evident earlier this year, when he was afforded a wonderful ovation by adoring Atletico fans ahead of his Champions League semi-final
appearance for Chelsea at the Vicente Calderon.
That welcome will be repeated when Atletico return to action after the Christmas break, and the unanimous warmth of his reception will surely provide a much-needed boost in one particular quality which is hugely important for strikers but has been clearly lacking for Torres in recent times – confidence.
Atletico fans will make Torres feel like a million dollars. Their glowing memories of his first spell at the club will help relieve the pressure that has been heaped upon his shoulders ever since he was burdened with a £50 million (Dh286m) transfer fee upon his move to Chelsea. The effect could be transformational.
In addition to the confidence factor, the biggest key to Torres’s success at the Vicente Calderon will be the influence of his new manager and former teammate, Diego Simeone. During his three years in charge of Atletico, Simeone has shown himself to be capable of extracting the very maximum out of his players, turning previously unsung performers such as Gabi, Raul Garcia, Juanfran and Mario Suarez into La Liga winners, Champions League finalists and full Spain internationals.
Even more tellingly, by focusing on his strengths and learning how to minimise the impact of his weaknesses, Simeone succeeded in converting Diego Costa from a hard-working but goal shy bludgeoner into a world-class international striker.
With Mario Mandzukic enjoying a decent first season at the club, he may not start many games. But a fit, firing, confident and motivated Fernando Torres could well prove to be a valuable weapon.
