The Fernando Torres story part three: Trophies are my target

Oct 12 2007 by Nick Peet, Liverpool Echo

FERNANDO TORRES' move to Anfield was about one thing – winning trophies.

His love affair with Atletico Madrid ultimately wasn't enough to satisfy him as a footballer, but he's walked away with the single desire of becoming the best he can be.

The list of clubs competing for his signature read like a who’s who of European giants in the summer, but once he resigned himself to leaving the Vicente Calderon he had eyes for only one team.

Torres chose Liverpool in spite of several bigger offers, including a monster one from Inter Milan.

“My choice was not down to money. This is a personal challenge,” said the striker, who reportedly took a pay cut to join Rafa Benitez’s Anfield revolution.

“I have signed for six seasons and my desire is to play here for the six.

“Liverpool have great players and I'm happy to be around them. The more goals I can score, the better.”

But he admits that leaving Madrid was the toughest decision of his life.

The striker was shocked by the emotional reactions he received when leaving Atletico, when fans protested outside the stadium the day his move to Liverpool was confirmed.

“People were crying. It was a bit of a shock that I was so important to them,” Torres says.

“It was a hard and difficult moment, but the decision had been made. Those people that I'd seen crying were the very same ones that sent me calls and messages of support.

“It's a happiness for me, personally, as it's unusual for Spanish supporters to act like that.”

At his departing press conference, he said: “There comes a moment in your sporting life when you have to look for new challenges and this was it.

“The decision was mine. We received the offer and I asked the club to listen to it.

“It was difficult to leave, but I couldn't reject the Liverpool offer . . . It was a unique opportunity.”

On Liverpool, he added: “They have become a major force again in Europe in recent years and I want to add something new to the club. They were the team I wanted to play for.

“Liverpool have shown confidence in me and I hope to be at the same level as some of the legendary players that have worn the shirt.

“Rafa Benitez has given me the chance of taking a step forward in my career and I want to return his faith with goals.”

That legendary Liverpool shirt, of course, was then made extra special when Torres was given the No. 9, handed down from the departing Robbie Fowler and originally made famous by Ian Rush.

It is a factor not wasted on the young Spaniard.