A decade since Fernando Torres left Liverpool in search of Chelsea stardom

It is Monday, 31st of January 2011. Emotional, but senseless reactions catch like wildfire to the news that Liverpool’s number nine has left the club to join Premier League rivals Chelsea, for a British transfer record of £50 million.

From burning replica shirts, to destroying photographs of Fernando Torres in The Reds outfit, Liverpool supporters were blinded by rage and had deemed the Spaniard worthy of treatment likened to a villain.

They could not handle the pain of another world class footballer leaving Anfield. The excuse of leaving to win titles and trophies seemed unimaginable for fans, but within the current crop of players, that target seemed unattainable.

El Nino, meaning ‘The Kid’ in Spanish, had spent nearly four years plucking at the heart strings of supporters, after scoring 81 goals in 142 appearances. He became an instant fan favourite when he broke former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record, for the most goals scored in a debut Premier League season by a foreign player, after netting 24 league goals in the 2007/08 season.

His potency in front of goal enabled Torres to become the fourth Liverpool player, behind Kenney Dalglish, 2001 winner Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard, to be ranked in the top three for the FIFA World Player of the Year. In 2008, the then 24-year-old came third behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, first and second respectively, showing how good he’d been since traveling 1,500km from Spain to Anfield.

Alas, the red mist clouded the vision of the fanbase. Supporters knew all too well of players leaving the club in their prime because they thought there were better options to become successful.

Fellow Spanish internationals Álvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso left to join Real Madrid in 2009, the latter a move that left Gerrard “devastated.” The club turned to 25-year-old Alberto Aquilani from AS Roma to fill the void in Liverpool’s midfield. A hopeful acquisition.

Replacing a European Championship, Champions League and FA Cup winner with a player who’d been constantly injured for the past three seasons shares similarities of a racehorse owner swapping his Gold Cup stallion with a foal who’s got a ruptured tendon-big mistakes were happening off the field at the club, and Torres was aware.

In Torres’ last summer at Anfield, Liverpool sold Argentinian holding midfielder Javier Mascherano for £24 million to European giants FC Barcelona.

The team he joined back in 2007 had most of its talent and quality sucked out of it. In return, it had been replaced by hopeful and promising talents that very rarely came to anything. The club, then owned by Tom Hicks and George N. Gillett, Jr. was slowly being run into the ground.

Torres knew a decision that was best for his career had to be made.

If you enjoy reading about Fernando Torres and Liverpool, check out our article on why the Egyptian King Mo Salah will never be loved like Fernando Torres by the Liverpool faithful.

Halfway through his fourth season at Liverpool, the Spaniard handed in his transfer request. Rather than speculation or gossip, this was real, and for the fans of Liverpool it felt like a stab in the back. When this was happening in January of 2011, Torres had become the first player in the club’s history to score more than 30 goals in a single season since Robbie Fowler back in 1995/96, and more importantly became the fastest player in the club’s history to reach the 50-goal milestone.

He had become a king in the eyes of the Liverpool faithful, yet they could not see why he would want to leave. Was their compassion not enough?

Check out The Alive and Kicking Podcast's recent episode featuring Gloucester and England rugby player Jack Clement.

The problem was the fans treated El Nino as if he were their own, such as Gerrard or even Trent Alexander-Arnold of the present, whereas ultimately Torres had left his boyhood club, Atletico Madrid, behind to win trophies. So far, he had won nothing at Liverpool bar from personal accolades and, at the age of 26, Torres knew if he were to win titles, he would have to move on.

However, to the supporters, handing in a transfer request and then ultimately leaving to join Chelsea; it was a huge betrayal. The defending Premier League champions now had a World Cup and European Championship winner amongst their ranks, and Liverpool fans now viewed Torres almost as low as Judas.

Torres went on and played 172 times for Chelsea, but only scored 45 goals in all competitions, however, he did win the FA Cup, Europa League, and the Champions League, and then later another Europa League with Atletico Madrid in 2018.

With some trophies under his belt and now looking back on his career, is Torres glad he left Liverpool or is he regretting the chance of winning something with a fanbase which viewed him as a legend in the making?