A long-haired blonde with an exhilarating pace, Fernando Torres was my idol as I began watching football, beating defenders with such charisma.
As a Chelsea fan, I was supposed to hate Liverpool’s star forward. After all, he liked scoring goals against the Blues, even on his rough days.
I didn’t have any complaints, though. Chelsea were winning titles and the No.9 was establishing himself as one of the best players in the world.
Naturally, few were happier than me when he joined Chelsea. ‘Nando’ was in his prime – the player to drive Chelsea to European and domestic success.
Chelsea made a massive statement in signing him. A purchase from their domestic rivals for over decade, Torres had already proven himself a game changer in world football. However, there was something off about him right from the start of his Chelsea career.
The elbow Daniel Agger smashed into Torres’ face in his Premier League debut for Chelsea was a symbol of the rest of the Spaniard’s career in London; a constant struggle.
It was a rollercoaster ride for the former Liverpool ace. There were times when he was again the man who took Premier League by storm, others he was a shadow of his true self.
As a fan, it was difficult not to find a reason to love the man. He was charismatic, seldom complained and always worked hard on the pitch. But there has rarely been such a divisive opinion among the fan-base over a player.
I was proudly in the pro-Torres group, but it was difficult to debate those who criticised him. He wasn’t scoring goals – and his work ethic meant nothing unless it yielded an end product. However, having seen what he could do made me hope for a better outcome every next game. “He’ll score a goal today” is what I would say as I woke up pumped for a Chelsea game. But I was always disappointed.
“Chelsea midfielders are selfish, they should give him more opportunities,” I would say, but Torres would then miss easy opportunities in front of the goal, such as in a 1-3 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
In fact, at times, it was almost catastrophic, but my bias towards his performances never went away. The Spanish international made me love football and along the way, taught me the truth of life.
Life isn’t fair after all. An injury before World Cup put a speed breaker in an otherwise promising career for the former Atletico Madrid captain. Things could have been different. Chelsea did not suit him – or maybe he was already in decline when he joined the club for a then-British record fee.
He could have won the Ballon d’Or and placed himself among arguably the two best players of all time – such was his potential. He scored the winning goal in Spain’s Euro 2008 campaign, while scoring on a regular basis for Liverpool.
There will be no regrets, though. Fernando Torres enjoyed an illustrious career, winning two European Championships with Spain, an FA Cup and a Champions League with Chelsea. But he would have expected to play a far bigger role in winning those medals, especially for Chelsea.
The 32-year-old might not resurrect his career, but the very fact that he won far more trophies in a period of decline than at his peak goes to show that hard times are often rewarded.
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Frankly, it was a bad look for Hayes. She appears like a grumpy and frustrated manager as her tenure at Chelsea is coming to an end.
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