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THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
星期日泰晤士报畅销书

el Nino Sto

L0

el Nino
厄尔尼诺

HarperSport
哈珀体育

An Imprint ofHarperCollinsPwblishers
HarperCollinsPwblis她的印记

F

HarperSport
哈珀体育

an imprint of Harpercollins
Harpercollins 的印记

77-85 Fulham Palace Road London W68JB

First published in paperback 2010 O Fernando Torres 2009,2010
首次出版平装本2010OFernandoTorres2009,2010

1

Allrights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic,
版权所有。本publication 的任何部分不得任何形式或任何方式复制、存储在检索系统中或电子方式传播

mechanical,photocopying,recording or otherwise,without the prior
机械、影印、录音或其他方式,无需 PRIOR

written permission of the publishers.
出版商的书面许可

The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. ACIP catalogue record for this bookis available from the British Library
作者主张认定作品作者的精神权利本书 ACIP目录记录可从大英图书馆获得

ISBN 978-0-00-733452-0
书号:ISBN 978-0-00-733452-0

Translated from Spanish to English by Sid Lowe
SidLowe西班牙语翻译成英语

Printed and bound in ltalyby L.E.G.0.SpA
印刷装订ltalyby L.E.G.0.SpA

The HarperCollins website address is www.harpercollins.co.uk
HarperCollinswebsite地址www.harpercollins.co.uk

Mixed Sources
混合源

Praduc group from wellmanaged
来自 wellmanag ed 的 Praduc 集团

forests and other controlled sources wwwfsc org Certno.sW-CDC-001806 01996 Forest Stewardship Coundl
森林和其他控制来源wwwfsc org Certno.sW-CDC-00180601996森林管理委员会

FSCis a non-profit international organisation established to promotethe
FSC是一个非营利性国际组织,旨在促进

responsible management of the world's forests.Products carrying the FSC
负责任地管理世界森林带有FSC 的产品

labelare independently certified toassure consumers that they come
label都经过独立认证,以向消费者保证他们来了

from forests that are managed to meet the social,economic and ecological needs of present and future generations.
来自满足当前未来一代社会、经济生态需求的森林

Find out more about HarperCollins and the environment at
了解更多关于哈珀柯林斯及其环境的信息,请访问

www.harpercollins.co.uk/green

To the best fans in the world
世界上最好的粉丝

Fernando Torres was born in Madrid in March 1984.He signed as a professional for Atlético Madrid aged 15,made his frst-team debut two years later,and became club captain at 19.
费尔南多·托雷斯1984年 3 月出生于马德里,15 岁以职业球员身份签马德里竞技,两年后首次亮相马德里竞技,19岁成为俱乐部队长

After 200 appearances for Atlético,he was signed foraclub-record ε20million by Liverpool in July 2007,and in his inaugural season in the Premier League became the frst Liverpool player since Robbie Fowler to score 20 league goals.
在为马竞出场200,他于 2007年 7 月被利物浦创纪录的 2000 万欧元签下,并在首次进入英超联赛成为物浦第一名球员 sinceRobbie福勒20个联赛进球。

He made his debut for Spain in2003 and has amassed over 70 caps to date.He scored the winning goal in the 2008 European Championship final.
于 2003年首次代表西班牙出场,迄今为止已经积累了超过70出场机会。他在2008欧洲锦标赛打进了制胜

Fernando Torres was assisted in writing this book by Madrid-born journalist Antonio Sanz.Antonio has worked extensively in the Spanish media and has written for the prestigious sports newspaper Marca.He has known Fernando for many years,dating back to when he was press officer at Atlético,Madrid.Antonio is now Director of Communications at Bahia Internacional.
费尔南多·托雷斯Fernando Torres) 得到了马德里出生的记者安东尼奥·桑斯 (Antonio Sanz) 的协助撰写了这本书,安东尼奥西班牙媒体广泛工作并为著名的体育报纸Marca撰稿 费尔南多 (Fernando多年,可以追溯到他在马德里竞技担任新闻,安东尼奥现在是巴伊亚国际航空公司 (BahiaInternacional传播总监

PUYOLY
普约利
TOBRE
托布雷

TE TRAEN LA 6XCLUSIV

coLECCIóI

RETBO

It
happened
发生
in
San
Sebastián,in
塞巴斯蒂安

northern Spain,when I was playing
西班牙北部,当我在玩的时候

for Atlético Madrid against Real
马德里技对阵皇马

Sociedad.Iwas battling witha
Sociedad.I正在与

defender,and the captain's
防御者,以及上尉的

armband I was wearing came
我戴的臂章来了

loose and fell open.As it hung
松动开。悬挂时

from my arm,you could see
我的手臂上,你可以看到

the message written on the

inside,in English.
里面是英文的。

e'lPeoer alk Qlone.

t wasn't what I had intended but right there and then I became identified with Liverpool.I hadn't planned for it,and a future at Anfield hadn't even crossed my mind,but that moment of chance,that accident,came to symbolise the next big step in my
这不是想要的,而是就在那里,然后物浦所认同。我没有计划过,安菲尔德的未来甚至没有在脑海中闪过,但那一刻,那个意外,来了象征着我的下一个重要步骤

career:my captaincy at Atléticogave way to the words that define Liverpool.

All of my best friends have the words tattooed on their arms.We were eating together once and they suggested that I do the same.I told them couldn't.'You'll Never WalkAlone'is a phrase so intimately linked to one of Europe's biggest clubs,so clearly associated with Liverpool,that Ididn't think it was a good idea.I was an Atlético player and a rojiblanco through and through.They decided to give me a new captain's armbandfor my birthday with the phrase on the inside so that,even iflwouldn't get it tattooed on my

arm,the phrase would accompany me.My friends would accompany me;we would never walk alone.I gave the armband tothe Atlético kit man,who kept it with the team's shirts.Whenit slipped down that day against Sociedad,an eagle-eyed photographer snapped the picture and Iwas immediately linked to Liverpool.

Maybe that was the day I took my firststep towards Anfield,or maybe it was because lalready shared things with Liverpool.tidentify with the values that define the club:hard work,struggle,humility,sacrifice,effort,tenacity commitment,togetherness,unity,faith,the permanent desire to improve, to overcome all obstacles...Once a week Liverpool fans feel like the most important people on earth and make the playersfeel like it too.They give everything and they ask for nothing in return.Liverpool FC is a club that

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future started just after I'd played in the Nike Cup in Italy at the age of fteen.That was May 1999 and the newspaper Marca started to link me to Arsenal.The only thing I was worried about then was passing my exams and enjoying my summer holiday in Galicia.But the Premier League bug did bite.A couple of years later,just after I had made my debut for the Atlético first team,there was talk about Manchester United.Back then, Liverpool wasn't an option at all but other clubs were.A scout from Arsenal even contacted me and gave me his card in case I wanted to have a trialwith the Gunners.

My interest in the Premier League grew.In Spain,most people only ever talked about La Liga.At the time there was little coverage of foreign leagues and few Spanish players were playing their club football outside thecountry. That was the time,in the late 1990s,when Arsenal built a great side with Dennis Bergkamp,lan Wright,David Seaman,Tony Adams,Nicolas Anelka and a very young Thierry Henry,with Arsène Wenger as coach.They were wonderful to watch.So much so that lused to choose Arsenal when iplayed chapas -the Spanish equivalent of table football played with bottle tops. Youwould play against friends with metal bottle tops that you painted in the colours of your favourite team;I'd painted mine Arsenal colours with the players'names on.We would challenge each other to games at school and in the parks in Fuenlabrada,the town just outside Madrid where Ilived.When José Antonio Reyes signed for them,I followed with interest:I kept a close eye on his progress,his team-mates,and his new club.

I had always been interested in foreign leagues as a kid.I followed the Italian league as much as possible because I loved the way that the Argentinians Gabriel Batistuta and Abel Balbo played.I also liked a kid that was coming through by the name of Francesco Totti.Before thatIremember Arrigo Sacchi's Milan,van Basten in particular,and later l followed Juventus with Alessandro Del Piero,Gianluca Vialli and Fabrizio Ravanelli.Then there was George Weah at Milan,a phenomenal player.My favourite in ltaly was always Batistuta.He had everything.But my idol at home was kiko Narváez -one of the heroes of the league and cup double that Atlético won in 1996.

In the summer of 2006 after the World Cup in Germany,Bahía Internacional, the company that have looked after me since I was fteen,told me that there had been discussions with Manchester United.Sir Alex Ferguson had been involved in the negotiations but in the end nothing happened:maybe neither ofus really pushed hard enough

I also found out that some other English clubs,like Newcastle and Tottenham,had made offers which Atlético rejected -just as they did to offers from Olympique Lyon and inter Milan.Ialso felt that it wasn't the time to leave and none of the offers entirely convinced me.My desire to succeed with Atlético stopped me thinking about a change.

When Liverpool's offer arrived a year later,Itookalong time thinking about it and in the endidecided it wastime fora change.Ifelt that Iwas stagnating in Spain and that my development was grinding to a halt.The Premier League is the strongest in Europe.Afewyears ago,La Liga was the best but the huge infux of foreign players has allowed the English league to improve and the

footballis more attractive now-it's faster and more intense,there are more goal scoring chances and the players respect the rules of the game better. In England,players don't dive.They try to help the referees,they don't try to take advantage of every situation and the game isn't constantly stopping. There's a level of respect that lets you really enjoy the game.Of course there are tough tackles,but they are honest attempts to win the ball and players who do get fouled get up straight away,even ifit hurts,instead ofrolinground the turf to try to get the crowd going and put pressure on the referee.As a

spectator,I really enjoy watching Premier League games.Even before lsigned, my Spanish team-mates-peoplelike XabiAlonso and Pepe Reina-told me that I would enjoy playing in England even more than T had enjoyed playing in Spain.

l always thought that I would play atAnfield as a visitor,never as part of the home team.I would compare the old Highbury to Anfeld;I would have loved to have played there.That respect for history and tradition is something that should be applauded.Reyes and Cesc Fabregas told me about the reverence shown during the final few games at Arsenal's oldground.It'slike Anfield,a cathedral to the game.You want to be able to tell your friends:T've been there,where so many glorious pages of footballing history were written? I didn't know that Liverpool was the most successful club in England.

GDestiny seemed to have decided that if I ever left Atlético Madrid it would be for Liverpool.Having turned down various proposals, Rafa Benitez's call made me reflect and start to have doubts for the first time. i decided that it was the right moment to leave and I asked Miguel-Angel Gil Marín,Atlético's owner to listen to Liverpools offer.9

kORR

Since Rafa went to Anfeld and took Spanish players with him,I had got to know Liverpool better butIdidn'trealise that.Iremember the 2001 Uefa Cup final against Alavés but Ithought they were some way behind the teams that I assumed dominated English football:Manchester United and Arsenal.I was surprised when I found out just how incredible their history was and how many titles they had won.

Istanbul revealed Liverpool's true spirit.The Spanish television channel Canal Plus broadcast a report about the history of the club after they had won their fifth European Cup in Turkey -about the tragedies at Heysel and Hillsborough,the connection between players and fans,the struggle against adversity.The commitment to overcome difficulties

and stand tall,the ability to face up to every situation and beat it,is reserved for true giants.Liverpool FC is a special and complete club,one that plays and fights,that gives everything for the people who follow it.

I had heard the names that are most

Crtk associated with Liverpool:Dalglish,Rush,

Souness,Keegan,Owen,Fowler,McManaman, Hamann ...As someone who has always followed those players who come through the ranks at their clubs,I was especially interested in a young lad from the youth team called Steven Gerrard.In the 1980s Liverpool were practically invincible.I was told that the European ban they suffered after Heysel made them stronger domestically,even though they had an important handicap with less of a presence on the international club stage.You still find Liverpool fans all over the world though and I

think the club needs to keep growing by encouraging that

Liverpool' s European Cup successes set them apart internationally

and making sure they continue to be known worldwide.Until I signed for Liverpool,I never knew they were so big.And I felt like they didn't have much of a presence beyond Merseyside either;attention was focused on London and Manchester.But then,suddenly,Liverpool were back in the spotlight. A lot of that is down to Rafa Benítez,who has changed things at the club and revived some of the old Liverpool philosophy,giving the club a global presence again.

Liverpool's two Champions League finals remain fresh in my mind.In Istanbul and Athens the values that embody the club shone through.I turned off the television at half-time in the 2005final.It seemed to beall over Everything pointed to thesecond half being a waste of time,just an exercise in running down the clock.But when I got to the restaurant where I'd arranged to meet with friends,I asked them to put the televisionon andI couldn't believeit.I don'tknow where they found the strength and character to take that game into extra-time and penalties.When Liverpool got to the finalin Greece two years later,Iwatched the whole game at home.After what had happened the frst time,I wasn't going to miss a minute.I wanted Liverpool to win because I had friends in the team.Once again,things looked bleak but when Dirk Kuyt scored I thought that another comeback was possible.in fact,I'm convinced that if the referee hadn't cut the game short by a few seconds,the Reds would have taken things into extra-time again.The equaliser was possible and a victory likely

Watching those two nights unfold on television taught me my first lesson about the club I would later join:at Liverpool,no one gives up and everything's possible

It was a cold winter afternoon,

just after Christmas.We had

eaten in Dehesa de la Villa,the

neighbourhood in Madrid where my grandparents lived,and during

the meal someone asked:

Can we go and see Atlético play?'

25

Torres

why I'm an atletico

hey were playing at home against Compostela.It was the perfect game for us,a combination ofour commitment to the red and white of Atletico and the pull of home-my father is from asmallvillage near Santiago de Compostelain Galicia,up

in the northwest of Spain.My grandfather Eulalio and my father started talking about it,and beforelknewitIwas sittingin the back of the family car, seat belt across my chest,heading for the banks of the Manzanares river- tothe neighbourhood of La Arganzuela where the Vicente Calderón stadium stands.

It wasn't just another day for me.It was the first time I had been to see Atlético Madrid live.Together with my grandfather-my inspiration when it came to supporting Atlético -and my father,we bought threetickets to see a side that was anything but consistent.It all started at 5pm on 15 January 1995 and ended 1-1.Abadia opened the scoring for Compostela and 'The Train'Valencia,our Colombian centre-forward,equalised.I remember watching Caminero,Simeone,Solozábal and López players who would go on to win an historic double the following season

I wasn't hooked when Ileft thestadium.It was cold,there wasn't much excitement and the flat atmosphere in the stands didn't help.The draw meant Ileft as I had arrived,without really catching the bug.

And yet with every passing day I felt happier that I had chosen Atlético. Iwas fast becoming an atlético like my grandfather I feltit.And,just as saw my frst game at the age often,a few months later,in July 1995,I had my first trial to play for them,having previously played for a team called Rayo 13 in Fuenlabrada.After signing up and being selected for the trial,I went along with my father and my brotherisra.The trial was held on the gravel pitches in Parque delas Cruces in the neighbourhood of Las Aguilas in the south of the city.It was a summer afternoon,a Saturday at 3pm.My father had driven down there earlier in the day to check it out and make sure we didn't get lost en route but we still managed to turn up a couple of hours early.

‘You've been selected,'he said,

deadpan.‘They've picked six kids

and you're one of them.You have

to go to Colegio Amorós in the first week of September for another trial to confirm everything.

The trial consisted of eleven-a-side games split into two twenty-minute halves.There were a lot of kids and not much time.It wasn't exactly an ideal way to prove yourself but things went well for me.I scored a lot of goals and I was very happy with the way I played.Amongst those choosing which kids would be selected were some ofthe club's legends,men I would later spend yearstraining with like Víctor Peligrosand Manolo Brinas.At the end of the trial they told us that the kids who were chosen would be on a list they'd post at the Calderón in mid-August.It wasn't something that obsessed me,far from it.At that ageIdon't think failure is something that scares you.If didn't get chosen I would have just gone back to playing football in my neighbourhood,happy as I had ever been.

Time went by and the family holiday in Galicia meant that we couldn't drop by the Calderón to see ifl had been chosen.My father decided to phone the club to find out.He was the one thatgave me the good news,but you would never have thought it.

'You've been selected,'he said,deadpan.'They've picked six kids and you're one of them.You have to go to Colegio Amorós in the frst week of September for another trial to confrm everything.?

It was there,on a pitch very near to where we'd undergone the first trial, that Icame across 'professor'Brinas for the second time.He would later play a big role in my development.I did wellin the second trial too and at the age of eleven I formally signed up for Atlético Madrid's youth team at what's known in Spain as the alevin level-Under-12s.My first coach was aman by the name of Manolo Rangel.

In September 19951made a huge leap:from playing football in my local neighbourhood of Fuenlabrada for Rayo 13 to travelling to Belgium for an international tournament with Atlético Madrid.I was nervous just going with my mum to buy a wash bag for the tripto Brussels.I was used to leaving the training pitch covered in mud and going home to shower.At Atlético things were much more organised.Everything had changed.Going to that tournament was my first-ever game away from home.I'd never travelled anywhere without my parents before and I'd never been abroad either.Yet here I was catching a plane,taking days offrom school and playing footbal against Anderlecht,Feyenoord and Borussia Dortmund.When we got back,

three weeks'training awaited us on the pitches at Orcasitas in southern Madrid,in the neighbourhood of Usera,and soon there were matches every Saturday.I was living a dream.

Wel beforejoining Atlético Madrid,even before that cold afternoon at the Calderón,I had already decided that red and white were my colours.When you're akid you tend to followyour parents;you goto games withthem and have an affnity for their team.Or you get dragged along by the family's footballing faith.If your parents don't have ateam,choosing can be hard- unless you find an idolto help you make upyour mind,astar player to follow. UntilI was seven,Iwasn't sure who my team should be.At school,almost

everyone was a Real Madrid fan and that was the thing that my grandfather Eulalio most complained about.He explained to me,patiently and simply, what being an atlético was all about.He told me about the special feeling that surrounds the club.He didn't tell me about players;what he told me about was what it means to wearthe Atlético Madrid badge on your chest, with thebear and the strawberry tree emblem that symbolises the city.He told me about the values the club represents and always had done over 100 years of history:hard-work,humility,sacrifice,and overcoming adversity; about resistance to Real Madrid,the city's football giants ...

Atlético are a big club too -but for different reasons.Atlético Madrid represent a permanent battle against the odds;being an atlético means never giving in,always fghting to the last.Atlético Madrid are on their own, fighting against the establishment,doing it the hard way.It is the people against the power.That's why my grandfather will always be an atlético. That's why I will betoo.

We Atlético fans are aware that there is a huge difference between the two big clubs in Madrid.Real Madrid have been named the twentieth century's best club and living in the shadow of them is extremely hard.But lam proud of supporting Atlético.It's hard because you don'thave constant success to cheer but that's the path r've chosen.I have never been struck by doubts.I've always been committed.Our successes are ours and ours alone;we have done it all on our own.That makes them more real.

t didn't care about being surrounded by Real Madrid fans at school. Back then,two of us bucked the trend:it was me and one Espanyol fan up against 28 Madridistas.If we lost,so what?There'd be another game along soon and we'd win that one.It wasn't only Real Madrid:I also ignored the influence of my father and turned my back on Deportivo de La Coruna.Those were the years of SuperDepor,when Deportivo were the most important team in Galicia and a real sensation in Spain,with Arsenio lglesias as coach and players like the Brazilians Bebeto and Mauro Silva,plus Liaão,Fran Manjarín,Aldana,andDjukic.Iwas given a Deportivo kit when Iwas nine but I already knew my destiny was red and white,not blue and white

My first year at the club was wonderful.Not only didthe Atlético alevín team that I was playing in enjoy a lot of success,the frst team did too. Under Radomir Antid,they achieved an historic double:they won the Copa del Rey,the Spanish equivalent of the FA Cup,by defeating Barcelona and thenthey won the league after beating Albacete in the Calderón on the final day ofthe season.All of the club's youth team players had been given a ticket for the match and sat together in the stadium.My father parked the car about twenty minutes away-as anyone who's been there knows, getting any closer to the Calderón by car is impossible -and the walk to the ground was emotional.Everyone was so excited.There was such hope in the air as you passed stalls selling scarves and shirts,drinks and nuts, sweets and crisps.You could feel that it was going to be special.

It's not easy to make the frst team.Of those kids who started out with me at Atlético only Manu del Moral,nowat Getafe;Molinaro,who plays for Mallorca,and Sporting Gijón'sRaúl Cámara are playing in the first division. Astime goes by,you realise howimportant it is to have a coach who really trusts in the young players coming through and has the nerve to call on

playing against zidane was a unique experience.He was an extraordinary and inimitable footballer;everything he did was special.

them if you are going to have any chance of making it.It helps to have the media on your side too,ready to support you when you're frst starting out and you don't immediately get the beneft of the doubt like a big-name player would.The pressure that surrounds a club means that it is very hard for youth team players to begiven the time to play and settle in.The best thing for clubs to do is sign key players for the first team and use the kids coming through to help make up the squad.The truth is,though,that clubs tend to turn to home-grown talents in times of need and pressure,when things are going badly.It would be better to turn to youth team players when things are going well and give them the chance to settle in but that is rare.If things are going well,there is little need to call up a youth-teamer.If Atlético Madrid hadn't been in the second division,I am sure it would have taken longer for me to get a chance.

There are some very talented kids coming through in England,although I think they would be more successful with a strong reserve league.At Liverpool we have two perfect examples:Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher have progressed all theway through the club and played for the English national side.There are others too:Wayne Rooney,who started at Everton,Giggs and Beckham at Manchester United and John Terry at Chelsea.The biggest clubs are investing more and more in their academies because they know that there is one thing money can't buy:the spirit and commitment of those players who have been at the club ever since they were kids.

I was never fortunate enough to play with my idol,Kiko.When I came on

cbttt

It all happened in a flash, so fast Ihardly noticed.

(had made my professional

debut.My first minutes as

an Atlético Madrid player shot by on a warm spring morning in May.At the age of seventeen years,two months and seven days,my dream became a reality

lmost seven years after that trial at Parque delas Cruces,Itook my first steps as a player at the Vicente Calderón,running on to play the final 26 minutes of Atlético versus Leganés in the

Second Division -the division we had been relegated to the

previous summer and the division we were trying to escape in the final,

frantic weeks of the 2000-01 season.

After the emotion of pulling on that red and white shirt with the No.35 on the back,Ishowered,put my Atléticotracksuit back on and gave my first- ever press conference in the press room under the stand at the Calderón. My head still in the clouds,I left the stadium.Alone,I strolled out of gate 6 and looked around for my dad standing amongst the fans who always waited by the players'entrance.It was about 3pm and my stomach was rumbling: Iwas starving.Afew metres away,my parents and my brother and sister were waiting for me by the car.Together we went to eat at a restaurant in a shopping centre in the south of the city,not far from Fuenlabrada wherewe lived.A family lunch full of hope-what better way to celebrate my debut? I look back on it now and I see myself eating,relaxed,still wearing my Atlético tracksuit.I had just walked away from the Calderón having played my first-ever game but I remember the tranquillity,the calmness of it all.No

one recognised me.I wasn't the fans'favourite;I wasjust another anonymous kid from the youth team hoping that one day I could make it at Atlético.

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon:phone on silent,a siesta and an evening stroll with the same kids from the neighbourhood as always.The same park the same people,and the same scenery brought me back down to earth.I had been floating since i had taken a call from Paulo Futre;the Portuguese playmaker,who'd been at Porto,Atlético Madrid,Benfica and Milan,had been our sporting director for the previous six months.It was his job to get us back into the First Division.Futre,who spoke a mix of Portuguese and Spanish every bit as quick as he had been on the pitch,phoned meone Monday to explain what the club's plans were for the 2002-03 season.Promotion was on the horizon and Paulo explained that on Wednesday he wanted me to start training with the first team to gain experience for the future.He also wanted me to join the frst team for pre-season training during the summer and then return to the B team to play in Spain's Second Division B.

At frst I wasn't keen on the idea.I had gone three successive summers without a break and I was already looking forward to the following week, when I was due to go to Galicia and spend a few days with my grandparents and then head to the beach with my friends.The day after the conversation with Paulo,the first team had the day offand I was unable to relax.Eventually the time passed and the big day arrived.

My dad accompanied me to Atlético's training ground in Majadahonda, fteen kilometres north-west of Madrid-not least because Iwasn'tyet old enough to drive.I was nervous as I headed towards the frst-team dressing room,going down the stairs with my head bowed and in silence.It was stil early butit was already hot.Just asI was about to go into the dressing room I saw Fernando,agoalkeeper from the same youth team as me.He had been called upto join in the session led by Carlos Garcia Cantarero,the coach who had been in charge of the frst team for the previous four weeks.Having seen ‘Ferdy,I felt a little more relaxed as we walked slowly,cautiously,into that dressing room.Ramón,one of the kit men,was there to greet us.'Come on, lads,'he said,'this is Atléti?We didn't know what to do or where to go,so he showed us where to change and gave us the kit.There was still an hour to go before the session started.

I began my first-ever training session with the Atlético first team nervously and barely said a word.We were preparing for the weekend's game against Leganés and asI looked around saw kiko Narváez,my boyhood idol and the man I had always tried to emulate,and a host of other familiar faces:Toni Munoz,Juanma López,Santi Denia,and Roberto Fresnedoso,all of whom had been part ofthe double winning side,and Carlos Aguilera,one of the club's historic greats.I glanced nervously at them all.The coach welcomed me and so did the club captains,Munoz,López and Kiko.Then I trained,a novice determined to take my chance.Once it was over and Iwas backin the dressing room,I felt more relaxed.it helped that José Juan Luque,Iván Amaya and Sergio Sanchez -who,like me,were represented by Bahía Internacional-neverleft me alone for a second.They kept an eyeout for me and the jokes flying round helped me to settle too.Then came the good news when Cantarero said:'Come back tomorrow.

Things moved so fast that I hardly had time to do anything,not evento think about what was happening.I hadn't stopped since Spain had won the Under- 16 European Championships in England.The week after that,Inaki Sáez called me up to the Spanish Under-19s to play against Portugal for the second leg followinga¹-1drawin the first match.Iscored and so did Oscar González,who

40

Torres

el Nino

currently plays for Olympiakos in Greece,and we won2-0.We travelled back to Spain but I hardly had time to unpack before Iwas off again,this time to Sevlle with the Atlético youth team for the Copa de Espana.And that was immediately followed by the callfrom Futre...Allthat in barely two weeks.And then my name was on the list for the first-team squad;two amazing weeks might even end with me playing at the Vicente Calderón

After four training sessions,Garcia Cantarero included me in the squad to face Leganés.When the final session finished Antonio Llarandi,one of the kit men,asked me if I wanted a lift home with him as we both lived in Fuenlabrada,which really helped.It made it easier for me when it came to oining up with the rest of the squad in our pre-match hotel and of course it allowed my dad to have a day off from driving me everywhere.And sol arrived at the Calderón with Antonio,from where the team bus took us to the city-centre hotel where we spent the night-the night before my debut. My mind went backa fortnight to when the Atlético fans had paid homage to Sergio Torres and me for having been part of the Spain squad that became European Under-16 champions in Sheffield.We had been invited to take the honorary kick-off at the Calderón for Atléti's match with Sevilla before watching the game from the stands.That was only recently but already it felt like it belonged to the past.My debut with the first team was drawing closer. Atlético's club delegate Carlos Pena put me in a room with David Cubillo, another youth teamer making his way.Cubi had made his debut that season in the frst few months of the campaign.He was the perfect room-mate: someone who had gone through the same process that I was now going through.And yet,incredible though it may seem,I was relaxed and far from nervous.I didn't feel the weight of responsibility upon me;that was the captain's duty,not mine.Ialso knew that Iwould be sitting on the bench.And even the kick-off time helped:I was used to playing at midday.It was a miracle to be there amongst the chosen ones but I was fairly relaxed and, believe it or not,Islept like a log.It was a reward for me to even be there,so there were no nerves and no anxiety to keep me awake.Nothing worried me. I took my seat in the dugout and the fans gave me my first round of

applause as an Atlético player.I felt like one of them,onlyI was wearing my kit.Another atlético from the youth team,another kid comingthrough-just as Cubll,López,Zahínos and Carlos Aguilera had done that very season. It sounded good to me.The fans had given me the thumbs-up.In the meantime,the game went on around me:0-0 at half-time.At the start of the second half,Cantarero sentme to warm up.AsI ran alongthe touchline, the fans gave me another warm ovation,even bigger this time than before the match.AsI stretched,Atléti piled forward but couldn't get the goal.Ten minutes passed and the coach called me over;it wastime to go on.But just asIwas getting ready Luque scored to make it 1-0 and the coach changed his mind and sent me back along the touchline to continue the warm up.

Qorres

As I headed along the touchline towards the southend,the fans were celebrating the goal but that didn't stop one or two of them having a go at the coach fortaking so long to send me on.A few minutes later-I'm not sure how manyit actually wasbutitfelt like an age-he called me over again.This time there was no turning back.This time I really was going on.I was about to make my bow as an Atlético Madrid player.

A strange sensation washed over me aslembraced the goalscorer and ran on in his place.Ilooked up at the stadium,and Iremember thinking how enormous it was.I looked up and down the stands whereI had stood as a fan and thought:'Here I am,where Ialways dreamed of being.

But there was no time for me to gaze around and think or for aimless daydreaming.I soon discovered that the pace and intensity of frst-team football was far greater than anything I had been used to with the youth team.I called for the ball,I showed for it,but myteam-mates didn't find me. Not,that is,until Juan Gómez made a twenty yard run and played it into me. It was my first touch.I didn't get very involved in the game because Iwas an unknown,even formy own team-mates.The two most significant moments werewhen Icontrolled the ball with my back to goal and won a free-kick,and a lob that went much higher thanIhad intended.Atlético won 1-0 but Ihave never really felt part of that victory.Maybe I hadn't yet got it into my head that I was no longer just another fan.

Iwas included in the squad for the next match against Albacete sixdays later,too.It wasn'ta huge surprise I half expected to be included in the trip to La Manchain central Spain because the team had picked up a lot of cards against Leganés and there were a number of players suspended.And yet at thesametime I halfexpected to be toldI could go offon holiday and switch off,not worry about the first team.The match was another do or die encounter in the battle for promotion.Atlético had won three and drawn one sinceCantarero had taken over and there were three weeks left until the end of the season.I started on the bench again and came on in place of Kiko.

Looking back with the beneft of hindsight,it is hugely disappointing that I never got the chance to actually play with my idol.I never set foot on the pitch at the same time as him and never played a single minute alongside him,although at least I can say I shared a dressing room with him and was his team-mate for a short period of time.When I went on there were seventeen minutes left and Iwas lucky enough to score in front of plenty of rojiblancos:the stands at the Carlos Belmonte stadium in Albacete were packed with Atléti fans.Ivan Amaya's cross forced me to make a sideways run to throw off the defender and reach the ball.I headed it backacross goal, past Valbuena,onto the post and into the net.

The victory gave us a genuine chance of promotion back to the frst division with two weeks to go.We were fghting it out with Betis and Tenerife, whose coach was a certain Rafa Benítez.Everything changed for me with that goal.Suddenly I was the star.I was surrounded by journalists and photographers.I felt like the lead role in a flm until one of my team-mates Hernández,rescued me from the pack.The atmosphere in the dressing room was fantastic and Kiko,who had been captain that day,came up to me and handed me the armband.One day you'll wearit on the pitch,he said.Today, you've earned the right to wear it off the pitch?it's a memento I will keep forever and one that takes pride of place in my house in Madrid.

A journalist once asked for an interview with me which involved taking photographs

in the very centre of Madrid.Atlético

Madrid's press offcer at the time said

yes and called me over one day after

training.'We're going to do an interview and some photos in the Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol,he told me.

The Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol

are two of the most emblematic,and busiest,squares in the heart of Madrid.

Are you mad?'I asked. “t'll be fine,'he replied,

‘no one knows who you are?

el Nião

e wasn't wrong Itwas Christmas 2001,Iwas seventeen and had been in the Atlético first team for barely six months.I was virtually anonymous and we did the shoot alongside the stalls that setup for Christmas in the plaza Mayor,under the

the bear and the strawberry bush-the city's emblem and the centrepiece of Atletico's shield.We then rounded off the day with a squid sandwich, typical of the centre of old Madrid.And there hadn't been the slightest hassle.

Agoal against Deportivo de La Coruna and then another one against FC Barcelona changed my life.I went from being just another anonymous kid to being recognised by almost everyone.

Fame comes so quickly and there is nothingyou can do about it.It creeps up on you and before you know it you're engulfed by it;suddenly,you're thrust into the public eye.

47

Correg

Mylife

in Madrid

Madrid's waxwork museum wanted me to join the other illustrious

sportsmen and women in their hall of fame.This is the day of the unveiling.

A year after that Christmas stroll round Madrid,my name crossed borders.In four matches,I went from a virtual unknown to a player people were talking about.The goal I put past Deportivo goalkeeper José Molina, having flicked the ball over the head of Nourredine Naybet,and another strike,this time against Barcelona,having cut inside Frank De Boer and beaten Roberto Bonano with the outside of my boot,made everyone sit up and take notice.The club had to put the brakes on.Between those two matches,we faced Real Madrid and the press department had over forty requests for interviews with me.I was no longer going step by step;nowI seemed to betaking off.People started to recognise me and the pressure grew.It was more and more common for me to appear on the cover of the papers and doing normal things became more dificult.Just goingto eat,to the cinema,a concert or even out for a coffee became a trial.Nothing would ever be the same again.

My independence had vanished.That became clear to me during the autumn of2004.Just after the summer holidays,I got aletter telling me that Madrid's waxwork museum was going to make a model of me.I couldn't understand why they wanted to put me in there alongside otherfgures from Spanish sport.After the measurements were done,the model was finished in October and I went along to its unveiling.I was the first Atlético player to be immortalised there.Alongside ‘me'were Zidane and Raúl as well as a number of other sportsmen and women,like Angel Nieto,thirteen times motorcycle world champion,Miguel Indurain,five-times winner of the Tour de France,Carlos Sainz,twice world rally champion,and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario,one of the greatest Spanish tennis players ever.There I was,a

waxwork in Atlético's centenary kit with a ball in my right hand,signed by my team-mates.

Two months later,a proposal arrived from the Madrid city council.I was asked to inaugurate thecity's Christmas celebrations from the balcony of the town hall in the Plaza de la Villa,accompanied by the mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón.It was my duty to turn on the lights and read the pregón-the announcement that officially opens the Christmas period.

I was becoming overrun by events,requests and my increasing fame.So much so that mygirlfriend Olalla had to start buying my clothes for me:I could only turn up at the shops ifl went early in the morning on a weekday. Any other time of day was impossible;I couldn't do something as simple as duck into a fitting room and try something on.It got to the stage that if we wanted to go to the cinema we would turn up in the dark after the flm had already started so that no one would see me.We started doing thatafter one occasion when people had seen me go in or had noticed me sitting alongside them.At the end,loads of mobile phone messages later,there was a huge crowd of people waiting by the doors for me to come out.WhenImentioned itto myteam-mates in the Spain squad,the ones who played in England told

that it would never happen overthere

You do getused to it and you do learn to live with fame,though.Two more events also shot me into the public eye.The first happened when Imade my

49

Uorres

My life

in Madrid

debut for spain in a friendly against Portugal on 6 September 2003;the second started off as a joke but ended up becoming a big deal and making me even more recognisable.I was eating with my friend Dani Martin,lead singer of the band EL Canto del Loco,and he asked me ta appearin a video alongside the actress Natalia Verbeke.It was great fun. Now when I see a video on the television I have some idea of what went into it.Not even half of what you do ends upin the video;we did so much ftming and in the end it seemed so short.I was there untillate one night and Dani didnt finish untit dawn.There must have been a thousand takes,but I was delighted with the final product.The same thing happened when another Spanish group,Café Quijano,came to Las Rozas to play us the song they had written to accompany the Spanish national team at Euro 2004.I was the first to leap on the stage and grab a guitar. And Ican't play a single note.

That wasn'tthe only time Dani has got me into trouble.I must confess. I went red when he called me up onto the stage during one of their concerts in Fuenlabrada.But the worst was what happened to us in a shopping centrein northern Madrid one day.I don't even go to shopping centres often but one day twent with him to a shop that a friend of his owned.I had no idea what going shoppingwith a pop star was like butt soon found out.Ina flash,we were surrounded bypeople.We couldn't even get out of theshop.In the end,the shop assistant had to shut the place and call in security to clear people out while we escaped through the backdoor.

They say you know you'refamous when you end up on Spitting /mage, and that happened to me too when Canal Pluss Noticias del Guinolmade a Fernando Torres puppet.I also went on one of spains most successful comedy shows,a programme called 7 Vidas.I played myself in a scene with two fantastic actors,Gonzalo de Castro and Santi Rodriguez.The episode was called My Worst Friend's Wedding and although i felt out of place and very nervous,it was wonderful to be able to go on my favourite show.

AsIgot more famous,my world got smaller and smaller.I had breakfast at the same cafeteria every morning,alongside a petrol station where a number of my Atletico team-mates met.We then switched and started going somewhere else-a lovely Argentinian patisserie right by the club's training ground.After work,we would stop at a bar for a soft drink near my house and then I'd go home to rest,and every now and again l'd pop into Madrid for a hamburger,just to make a change from the normal footballer's diet and my usual routine.

What we did with our spare time changed from week to week.We'd flip from tenpin bowling virtually every dayto endless games on the playstation. If the weather was good,Id go round the heath near my parents'house on the quad bike that the Spanish Football ederation gave each of the players for qualifying for Euro 2004 in Portugal.Or I'd set up a kickabout with my mates on a tiny 20×8 metre pitch in my parents'garden.We called it the Flori stadium after my mum,who's the one that has to put up with us. Sometimes we'd play away,though,and arrange a kickabout in my neighbourhood and play against the kids there.They were great matches.

Life in Liverpool is more relaxed than in Madrid.I get the kind of space that I was denied in the city of my birth.

sWhatever you do, fame

means youend up retreat-

ing into ever smaller spaces

with your closest friends,

loyal people you can trust.

When you think about it,

you realise you can better

control your life from those

places that have always

been yours. What's the

point of living in abig city if

you can't enjoy it?9

V

2nfú

'There aretwo great teams in Liverpool:Liverpool

and Liverpool reserves.

56

Corres

elNino was Michael Robinson who quoted Bil shankly's famous remark

o me,reciting the words of the manager whose footballing philbosophy revolutionised Liverpool Football club and changed ts history forever.Michael,a former Liverpool player and now a

commentator on Spanish television,had become my chaperone for the day as we went round the Anfield museum together for a TV documentary. Ihad been living in the city for six months but I hadn'tyet found the time to see one of the jewels in the Reds'crown,although I had been able to take a tour of the stadium with some friends who'd come outfrom Spain to visit me

Iwas struck by the special recognition reserved for the achievements of former players,the men who made the club great.That cold February morningin2008 Michael explained to me how much Kenny Dalglish Corner means to fans -the area set aside for the European Cups Liverpool so brlliantly won.He also explained the significance of the memorials erected in memory of those fans who so brutall lost theirlives at Hillsborough and the mosaics producedin honour of the those who,with their love,fidelity and pride helpedto carry Liverpool's name beyond the city gates.Ifthere is one thingthat has really stood out for me sinceI've been in England,it's the huge human tide of Liverpool fans.It's incredible.I have never seen a single Liverpool fan criticise a player,even when the team has lost.Every player dreams of fans like that;here at Anfield,we've got them.

G 6

ouLLNEVERWALKALONE

LIVERP00

FO()TBAl1 CLU

Six months had passed since that specialdayat AnfeldinJuly 2007when my signing was announced to the press.An afternoon's rain had given way to bright sunshine on Merseyside.Ididn'tknowthe dill,so Benitez explained what would happen during my presentation.'It's not like it is in Spain,he said.Normally,we unveil our playersquietly,almost privately,at Melwood. But because you cost so much,we're going to haveto open Anfield'I had seen Liverpool players presented before.I rememberedLuis Garcia and Xabi Alonso's frst day.I knew thatI wouldn'thave to go out in full kit,boots and all,and do kick-upson the pitch so that photographers could capture the moment and send the image roundthe world,ashappens in Spain.I seemed to remember Luis and Xabi simply posing in tracksuits,holding Liverpool scarves,and I was wearing a suit and smart shoes,ready for my press conference.But soon I found myself in a small room slipping off my jacket, shirt and tie and pulling onthe redshirt of Liverpool.It was thefirst time l'd worn the shirt of any other club apartfrom Atlético.Ilooked at myselfinthe mirror:there I was in red.I was still wearing No.9 but I was transformed.

Ilooked down;mytrousers andshoes hadn't changed.Wearing a football shirt and smart trousersand shoes,looking a bit strange,I walkeddown the corridor towards the mythical tunnel that leads to the Anfeld pitch.Rafa stopped in front of the This is Anfeld'sign.'Shankly put that here so that everyone knew exactly where they were,'he said.'You'll hear Shankly's name a lot atthis club'He was right.The previous night 'd started reading the books and watching the DVDs on Liverpool's history that I'd been given to help me learn about the club.Shankly,Paisley,Dalglish..just some of the names I had managed to commit to memory in the last few frenetic days. And,as we climbedthe stairs,Shankly popped upagain as Benitez told me a story about him and Kevin Keegan.

We sat in the stands at Anfeld,flashes going off all around us.I was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and I felt a chill.I thought to myself:'And it's supposed to be July!'I turned to Rafa and said:'Wow,it's cold!Cold? Here?It's never cold here,'he replied with a grin.I looked up and saw the exact image of what Ihad always imagined an English stadium to be:small,

tight,just 45,000 seats,with the stands right up against the pitch,old but warm -a ground with feeling.What a noise this place must make!It made me realise how importantthe history of the club is,the traditions that are passed on by fans,the flags and anthems and banners -the whole match- day ritual,which is seeped in the club's history.Every little detail matters, unlike in Spain where clubs'identities are being lost -some newer generations of fans simply don't knowhow to pass on the traditions and identities of their clubs and that makes them feel uncomfortable.

59

Totres

The

Cathedral Anfield

From the stands,we carried on down the stairs,stopping at the dugouts en route.I hardly even realised they were there because they're so set-back, just normal seats embedded in amongst the fans in the Main Stand.I don't want to see you here again,Benitez warned.Understood,boss.It wasn'tuntil the third game of the season that I even realised where the technical area was marked out,it was so small.

After the photos had been taken,it was time for me to say my first public words as a Liverpool player.First,though,I asked one ofthe members of staffto look after my firstLiverpool shirt for me so that I could take it home with me later.No sooner were the words out of my mouth than Benítez pointed out that players'shirts are normally donated to charity after their presentation.Because they're so special,being the frst shirt a player has

HOME TEAM DRESSING

RO0M

ever worn,they normally raise a lot of money.No problem.My shirt was donated to a cancer charity that auctioned it off.An Irish businessman got

itin return for ε4,900

With the coach acting as translator,the club's press offcer explained how the press conference would work.t would be divided into four partsfor four different sets of journalists.In Spain,you do one press conference forallof the media together and that's it.I caught the eye of one of the Spaniards accompanying me;he just shrugged and said:'Welcome to England!'The frst stop was in front of the television cameras,and I sat down alongside a nice guy called Phil,the translator.

Corres

Before Ispoke to the media,Rafa joked

about the fact that I had spoken to the

Madrid media that very morning at

the Vicente Calderón.'You told them

that Atlético Madrid will always be

in your heart,'he smiled.'So,think

carefully about what you're going to

say now.You might have to tell them

you've got a very big heart -one with

room for both clubs.

WhatI told them was something along the lines of:Tve signed fora huge club,a team of champions,one of the biggest clubs in the world.IhopeIcan contribute to their success and become a champion myself?

The media merry-go-round continued with Phil and lan Cotton,the club's press offcer,permanently by my side:a general press conference, radio,daily newspapers and then the Sundays.Just when I thought I had

62

Uortes

el Nino

The Hillsborough Memorial in

honour of those who died in the tragedy touches me in a special way.It's wonderful how our

fans keep the memory alive - they will never forget.

finally finished,Phil took me into another room.With a look of fear in his eyes he said:‘Now,you've got to talk to Liverpool TV and the club's official website.'Well,seeing as we're here...There wasn't a minute to think or relax and I immediately realised that things were going to be very different in England.There was so much to get used to.

When I flew to Liverpool for the second time in two days,I still wasn't aware that my life was changing by the minute.So much was happening that I needed to take a step back and pause for a moment but there just wasn't a chance to do so.On the way to the presentationthat afternoon we had been waiting at passport control at Liverpool airportwhen a group of fans recognised me.They gave me an amazing ovation and I began signing autographs but I couldn't hang about because we had to get through passport control.There was a car waiting to takeus to Anfeld.As I was on my way there,I got a call from my childhood hero Kiko Narváez,the former Atlético Madrid player and one of the stars of their double-winning team, who'd rung to wishme luck:He had listened to what Isaid during the press

conference at the Calderón in the morning and he told me thathe thought I'd made the right decision.The call over,there was silence in the car, broken only by the sound of the engine,and I watched distractedly out the window as the city went by.Just as we were going past Goodison Park,the man Liverpool had asked to look after me,Owen,said something.Jorge Lera, a friend of mine from Bahía Internacional,translated for me as he pointed up at the ground:'He says:“I hope you score loads of goals.”

We went into Anfeld through the Memorial Gate and Jorge translated as Owen explained what happened at Hillsborough in 1989,when so many Liverpool fans died.It was a tragedy provoked by negligence and one for which there still hasn't been an explanation.Rick Parry,Liverpool's chief executive,and Rafa Benítez were waiting for us in the room where the managers'families wait on match day.The room where I was to sign my contract with Liverpool.Margarita Garay,one of my representatives at Bahía, had just finished making some minor alterations to a couple of clauses when I walked in.I took short steps,glancing at the pictures on the walls, looking at the other people in the room.I took no notice of the food that had been laid on for me.Who could eat at a moment like that?I was handed a pen and I signed the contract that bound me to Liverpool for six years Benitez congratulated me in typical style:You've got to get to the gym.You're too thin to play in England.

it took a few months for me to get to know every corner of the stadium. One of the mostemblematic is the dressing room.On a match day you go in through the players'entrance to the sound of the fans singing and chanting alongside the team bus.You go along a narrow corridor,turn right and come to a room that has not changed in a hundred years.It's a small room with benches,pegs on the walls,two treatment tables and a table in the middle covered with bandages and strappings and other equipment.The players take up half the room,the coaches and backroom staff the other,but this year the staffhave taken to using an old storeroom to try to gaina little space.Before every game,Steven Gerrard or Dirk Kuyt take charge of the music,just as Sergio Ramosdoes with the Spanish national team.

You look around and think it's a small space for so many