IT was nice to see Fernando Torres this week, wasn’t it? Thought he was looking well. Japan seems to suit him.
If you missed it he’s been talking about how he has “feelings” for both Liverpool and Chelsea and wants them both to win games, but wants Liverpool to win the league because only messing about Chelsea.
That he still refers to Liverpool as “the best time of this career” is interesting considering he played (well) for his boyhood team not once, but twice and won the Champions League at Chelsea. You’d think a period at Liverpool where we didn’t win anything and he was lied to by owners and then made to play for Roy Hodgson would be a distant third. Yet he seems to define himself most by his time at Liverpool. The city and fans he refers to.
It was certainly a golden period for him in terms of performances. He scored 81 in 142 games, while winning the European Championships and World Cup with Spain. So if he loved his time at Anfield, there are plenty of reasons why.
He was adored too. Even in that wonderful team, with two Scouse heroes, he was the superstar. That Nike advert, with the pop-up paella shops and the girls learning Flamenco wasn’t that far off the truth. We were always just about to bounce in a minute.
For instant reaction to all the Liverpool news and events that matter to you, SUBSCRIBE to TAW Player…
“People were saying ‘he’s only done it for Atletico Madrid, can he do it in the Premier League?’… From early on it was obvious, yes he could.” ✊
🇪🇸 Subscribe and listen to our Fernando Torres special 👉 https://t.co/eGEw0VhCkE pic.twitter.com/uJ1cLWoiPJ
— The Anfield Wrap (@TheAnfieldWrap) 4 July 2018
Which made his desertion — for new money no less — all the tougher to take. Of all the player sales in that period, and there were a lot, it was Nando that hurt the most. Xabi Alonso had been messed about by Rafa Benitez and Javier Mascherano always seemed like he’d ended up at Liverpool by accident rather than design. But Torres? His armband was meant to prove he was a red. His armband was a fucking liar.
Now time has passed, though, and he’s not playing for a real team anymore, maybe we can look back on it differently. The fact was the Liverpool Torres joined was very different to the one he left.
In July 2007, we had just qualified for the Champions League final for the second time in three seasons and Torres looked like just the firepower Rafa needed to fire Liverpool to a title. By October 2010, he was playing with Paul Konchesky and Christian Poulsen and Hodgson. Regardless of where he ended up, he was well within his rights to reassess his career move at this point.
Because that is what Liverpool is for any player from outside Liverpool. A destination to get what they want from the next stage of their career. After that it is up to the player and club to make it happen. And it’s fair to say Fernando Torres upheld his side of the bargain much more than Liverpool did.
OK the timing wasn’t great, just as things were looking slightly better under new owners and Kenny Dalglish, and going to Chelsea wasn’t great, although having ruled out Manchester and Real Madrid for obvious reasons, his choices were probably fairly limited. But he’d left home for glory and ended up with gobshites. He didn’t deserve that.
The only other player to get a similar level of anger to leaving was Raheem Sterling. Compared with Torres, we didn’t even like him that much, we were just pissed off he wanted to leave so early in his career. We made about a 1000 per cent profit on the transfer and called HIM a greedy cunt. Funny football, isn’t it?
But again, as a pure career move, it is hard to argue with it. At 15 he thought Liverpool was the best place for him. By 19 he thought it was Manchester City. Since then he’s won loads of trophies and developed massively as a player under one of the best coaches in the world. And he’s got a 15 grand dog. He’s fucking smashed it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still up for booing the pricks whenever they come back. Largely because it turns them into worse players than me. But we also need to be sensible about the whole thing.
The only way to ensure Mo Salah et al don’t leave us the same way is convincing them that Liverpool is the place where all their dreams can come true. That our ambitions are the same as theirs. Luckily we are a long way off those dark days of Tom Hicks and George Gillett, courtrooms and protests. We came out of it eventually, but we should be sympathetic of those we lost along the way.
Torres still loves us, so we should love him too. If I had to do the same again, I would my friend, Fernando. Fuck it, any spares for Sagan Tosu away?
The Anfield Wrap has been shortlisted for Fan Media of the Year in The FSF awards – VOTE HERE…
We’ve been nominated for @The_FSF awards and we’d appreciate your help by voting for us in the Fan Media of the Year category! 🗳️
✅ Vote for TAW
✅ Vote for @Carra23
✅ Vote for @MoSalah & @VirgilvDijk
✅ Vote for @JNorthcroftNice one 👊
Vote here: https://t.co/wn2w7FrhjU pic.twitter.com/2qkyxWpYvZ
— The Anfield Wrap (@TheAnfieldWrap) November 6, 2018
Recent Posts:
[rpfc_recent_posts_from_category meta=”true”]
Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda Photo
I admit I have been very, very angry with him. And it took some time to see my anger fade away. Once he went back to play that charity game, you just couldn’t stay angry and seeing him together with Suarez on that holy Anfiled pitch was even touching, in a strange kind of way…
Probably he knows himself by now he should have stayed just that little longer. And that London wasn’t the same place as Liverpool. And the Stamford Brigde crowd simply isn’t able to give him the love the Anfield one does. Seeing him now showing that much respect for our club, makes me forgive him that mistake going to Chelsea in a January transfer window. And after all, I just loved to see him to see jogging over that Anfield pitch, his blond hairs waving in the wind and scoring mad goals for fun!
Club legend, for sure!
Every now and then I find myself wistfully singing the Torres song and have to catch myself before I finish
Watched the charity game, felt like running into the lost love of your life whilst in a pub and having a good chat, telling her about your new job, what you’ve been up too, putting on that brave face blah blah blah….until the moment she walks away and you’re crushed again.
God I loved him
1 day it’ll pass, not anytime soon but 1 day.
His armband proved he wa……
He did what he had to do. He wanted to win trophies. Torres didnt see that happening at Liverpool so he bounced and in hindsight he made the right decision.
Same situation I see now. Coutinho already gone. If we dont win the League or CL this season, I am sure Sadio and Salah will seriously think about looking elsewhere.
These are two great players and they want to look back on their careers and say they’ve won Leagues and CLs.
My thoughts entirely. Somewhere down the line our front 3 will have their head’s turned if we don’t start delivering the silverware. In fact it may have already started, with Mane not yet signing a new contract and Bobby not his usual self. Who knows?
Finally, some perspective on Raheem Stirling. Bout time.
Wanted the cash and we didn’t give it to him. He went to City, who gave him what he wanted and they also paid us a decent amount for him, at that time.
Under FSG we sold him, Torres, Suarez, Masch, Coutinho and got decent amounts back for them in return. No doubt when someone comes along with a decent offer for any of our players, then equally FSG will consider this and probably sell up.
Nice piece John.. I was thinking about the reception explayers get at anfield after seeing the respect Cavanni was paid by the Napoli crowd when he played there last week. Also read some comment from sterling about liverpool being great and i start to wonder what it’s all about.
A former Red hero was insulted this week – the King only got a knighthood, dragging him down to the level of sundry Manchester United people.
He should have been made at least an Earl.
No. He is and always will be The King. Nothing less.