Torres (8 page)

Santisteban, also an ex-Real Madrid player, is confident about the result of the final because ‘the lads have talent, class and self-discipline’. The match takes place on 28 July in Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd, 16,000-strong.

This was what the Spanish newspaper
El Mundo
had to say the day after the encounter: ‘Germany had to face the facts and admit defeat when confronted with the generation of Fernando Torres, icon and beacon of the Spanish side, the star emerging from his shell, who intimidates his opponents and achieves success every time he plays. He was top-scorer in the European Under-16 championship-winning side and a year later repeated the trick with the Under-19s. He already looks mature enough to forget playing with the kids and take on the challenges of the grown-ups.’

Another newspaper,
ABC
, had the headline: ‘Torres runs riot against Germany’ and wrote ‘Crone and Volz (two of the German defenders) couldn’t avoid him. They were met by El Niño in every Spanish attack and couldn’t catch him. Fernando had already destroyed them in the first minute. He got himself in front of Haas and shot wide after running six metres held by Fathi, who gave away a penalty, which referee Ceferen did not give. From that moment on, Fathi didn’t want to know about Torres. Torres, though, definitely did want to know all about being crowned Under-19 champions and had another penalty shout – Crone tackled him as he entered the penalty area – but the referee didn’t agree with that one either. Third time lucky. The crafty Reyes took a quick free-kick and the Atlético Madrid player took the opportunity once more to escape the weak opposition defence and shoot, forcing Haas into the first of a series of impressive saves and in turn making himself Spain’s principal problem.’

But in the 55th minute, even Haas had to admit he was beaten: ‘It was a very similar move to that which won Euro 2008 for the national side also, as it happens, against Germany,’ recalled Iñaki Sáez, ‘Reyes, in our half of the pitch, passes to Iniesta almost on the halfway line. Andrés sees Torres and makes one of his trademark deep passes.
Fernando wins the race for the ball with Crone and has just the German keeper to beat but fluffs the shot. The ball goes loose. Crone and Haas look at each other and don’t react. Torres sticks out his boot and nicks the goal. He knew how to keep going until the end. He knew how to keep on fighting until the end. That goal, exactly like the one last year against Germany, perfectly demonstrates his style,’ explained Saéz, ‘a striker who finishes the move with speed, force and intelligence.’

‘Torres … y Reyes’ read the red and black front page of Spanish sport daily,
Marca,
the next day, the first of many with El Niño centre stage (the headline played on the name
Reyes
, which also means ‘Kings’. The headline could therefore be read: ‘Torres … and we are Kings’). But Fernando, although excited by the two titles already won, doesn’t let it all go to his head and is already thinking of the next Under-20 World Cup. He’s hungry for victory. And this is how he responds to the praise he receives from Stielike after the match: ‘It’s always good to receive praise from one of the best managers in Europe but I still have to work on my game and improve so that this doesn’t turn into criticism.’

Another example of the young man’s desire, commitment and determination.

Conversation with Barcelona and Spain midfielder, Andrés Iniesta

An injury is keeping him out of the Barcelona team ahead of the final of Spain’s Copa del Rey (King’s Cup) against Atlético Bilbao. His side relies on the ‘hero of Stamford Bridge’ (where he scored the winning goal in stoppage time against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final) because of his qualities as a ‘total footballer’. He can play in midfield or on the wing. His dribbling skills and vision of the game have made him a key player. But this time Iniesta will not be there. It will be several days before the Barcelona midfielder can run out onto a pitch again, but he is expecting to be fit for Rome in the Champions League final against Manchester United. Instead, he’s here at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper (a complex situated about 3 miles from Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium, which hosts training sessions from junior teams as well as the Barça first team) in the hands of the physiotherapists. The treatment is taking a while and in the meantime, the words of his manager, Pep Guardiola, come to mind:

‘He’s an example to everyone and above all for the next generation. I always tell them to look at him because he doesn’t wear earrings, he doesn’t change the colour of his hair and he doesn’t have any tattoos. But they all know he’s the best. He plays wherever you put him and he never
complains, not even when he’s on the pitch for only twenty minutes. And he always trains well. Iniesta is priceless, tremendous.’

In the beginning the Spanish press christened him
Andresito
because of his small size. Now he’s become
Don Andrés
and ‘The Sweet’, after ex-Barça manager Frank Rjikaard said ‘on the pitch he gives out sweets’ to describe his way of playing. They’ve called him ‘The Philosopher’s Stone’ of Barcelona. Opposing managers and team-mates consider him a player capable of deciding a match but he himself shuns praise. The physiotherapy session over, he arrives pale-faced and wearing a white jacket, accompanied by Sergi Noguera, the club press officer and introduces himself as follows:

‘I was born in Fuentealbilla, a small village in La Mancha, about 25 miles from Albacete. My father, José, was a building worker and my mother worked in a bar with my grandparents. I come from a modest family. I started to play for Albacete and came to Barcelona when I was twelve. In 2003, my parents and my sister moved here too. I consider myself a very normal and straightforward person. I like to do my work well and try to enjoy football.’

His voice is frail, as is his general appearance, and his shyness is obvious. Andrés Iniesta Luján is not one for long chats. He does, though, gently begin to open up.

Years later, remembering those days, he can’t think of any words to describe it other than ‘it seemed like a fairy tale’. It was hard to believe, ‘Because everything happened in such a short time, everything went so quickly, it was difficult to take in,’ says Fernando Torres. And he’s right: On 6 May 2001, he was proclaimed Under-16 European champion and on 27 May, exactly three weeks later, at just seventeen, he realised his dream, making his debut with the Atlético Madrid first team at the Vicente Calderón stadium. On 3 June, he scored his first goal for the senior team. And that’s not all, because in-between there was the call-up from Iñaki Sáez to the Under-18 national team, the final of the Spanish Under-19 league and even the news that he’d been sold to Valencia. Unbelievable indeed.

Let’s take it from the beginning …

Right after the success with the national side in Europe, it occurs to the Atlético directors that it would be a good idea to include the lad from Fuenlabrada in the first team. The day after the defeat against Murcia the atmosphere is noticeably tense. Hopes of immediately going back up to the first division following relegation are fading. The fans have had enough of everyone – the president, the club, the manager and the players. There are even some attacks against the perceived ‘culprits’. Maybe the Golden Boy of Spanish football, as he has been labelled after the European victory, is just what’s needed.

Jesús Gil, the club president, thinks Torres could be used to calm the waters of a fan-base on the edge of a nervous breakdown. But he can’t do it straight away. Torres is committed to Iñaki’s Under-18 side. On 16 May, at Vila Real in the Portuguese region of Algarve, Spain play Portugal in the Under-18 European championship. The result is a 1-3 victory with a goal for Fernando Torres. Two weeks later it is possible. Paolo Futre, the Portuguese ex-Number 10, the striker who played seven seasons (1987–93 and then again in 1997–98 after a year with West Ham) in the red and white of Atlético before moving into the club offices as sporting director, picks up the phone. He calls Torres at home and asks the youngster to join up with the first team. The idea is that he should start to get himself used to the dressing room of the senior players, seeing that he will be with them for the 2001–02 pre-season. Torres, having finished his commitments with the national and junior teams, is preparing to go on holiday. At first, he doesn’t understand why Futre is calling him and can hardly believe the sporting director’s words. But he doesn’t let himself get carried away. On the contrary, he replies that if it’s just for training, he would prefer to go on holiday because after the injury and national team duty he hasn’t been able to rest even for a single day. Futre then lets drop the fleeting possibility of being on the bench and Fernando replies immediately with an enthusiastic ‘Yes’.

On Wednesday, 23 May, Fernando trains with the first team, scores five goals and Futre tells Carlos García Cantarero – the manager who replaced Marcos Alonso for the last seven games of the season – to call him up for the next match. So, on Saturday, 26 May, the youngster went off with his idols. Those who, a week before, he had seen on the pitch from the stands at the Calderón, those whose autographs he had asked for, and those who were now alongside
him as his team-mates. The youngster is a bundle of nerves. The atmosphere isn’t hostile but many look sceptically at the new arrival. ‘In the coach, they were making jokes about him. It was the way the squad welcomed him to the group and they were telling him, “you are a boy but one of ours”’, recalls Cantarero.

Sunday 27 May is the big day. Unforgettable. The heat is unbearable, Atléti are playing at home against Leganés and drawing, with 35,000 in the Calderón whistling and bawling at the players who are seemingly incapable of getting a vital home win. Cantarero raises his hand towards the subs who are exercising to the side of the pitch. He indicates to Fernando José Torres Sanz. The lad runs towards his manager and gets himself changed in a flash. Meanwhile, on the pitch, Luque scores from outside the area to make it 1-0. It is the 54th minute. Cantarero sends Torres to warm-up along the edge of the pitch. His debut seems to have been postponed. But the manager knows that the fans want to see him on the pitch. All the papers have been talking about him, praising the new red-and-white hope. For several days the talk about the team’s fragile state or its endless economic problems stopped in order to concentrate on the lad from the junior team.

In the 65th minute, Cantarero brings off Luque, the author of the goal and sends on the Number 35, Fernando Torres. The fans, placated by a positive scoreline, give him a warm welcome. In the minutes that remain, there is nothing special to report, but he’s made his debut. A member of the opposing team wants to exchange his shirt but he refuses. That shirt’s very important – he’s promised it to his brother, Israel, and it’ll be the only one like it being worn at the Estadio Carlos Belmonte the following Sunday, 3 June 2001.

Atlético have to win if they are going to keep alive their hopes of promotion but, against Albacete Balompié, things aren’t going well. Atléti are playing badly. An ugly game, marked by tension. Fear of losing haunts Cantarero’s men. The defence is fragile and exposed to the counter-attacking of their opponents. In attack, there are fleeting glimpses of Kiko, who has returned to the team, and of Cubillo. With seventeen minutes remaining, it’s a miracle the Madrid side isn’t losing. They create three half-chances on goal with Luque and Correa, while Albacete go close on several occasions. Cantarero plays the one card he has left at his disposal – the youngster. ‘We needed a goal. That’s why I put Fernando on,’ the manager will say later, rubbing his hands with glee for making the right move. Yes, because El Niño, cheered on by 5,000 Atlético fans who have gone down to Albacete to support the team, has just five minutes to change things round. He comes on in place of Kiko and goes immediately to take up his place in the attack. The first time he touches the ball, he is knocked flat by Arias, who earns a red card and a dismissal.

In the second move, a long cross from Iván Amaya comes into the area from left to right. Fernando pretends to go one way, then the other, gains ground on the central defenders and gets behind them. It seems the cross will end up being too long, but the youngster moves rapidly without taking his eyes off the ball falling out of the sky. He stretches out his neck, hitting the ball decisively, accurately and powerfully, directing it towards the opposite post. He fears that it’s hit the post and gone out of play. But no, it rebounds into the net. The keeper looks at his defence with disgust while Fernando runs towards the goal line and, beside himself with joy, embraces Aguilera and Hernández – men almost twice his age. It is his first goal at national club level and a happy ending of the fairy tale for him and the team, which,
with those three points, can continue to dream of promotion. The referee blows his whistle to end the encounter and El Niño succeeds in getting his hands on the ball that marked his first goal. He wants to keep it as a souvenir of his fledgling career. But then he changes his mind and kicks it hard and high towards the south end, where the Atléti fans are concentrated.

Meanwhile, on the pitch, around twenty journalists are following him, microphones at the ready, to interview him and hear his first impressions. Hernández and the others lift him up and take him to the dressing room.

After the shower and celebrations, there is time for comments, thanks and dedications. ‘Very emotional. I feel very emotional,’ is the first thing he says. Then he explains: ‘It was what all my family were waiting for, it’s what I wanted, to score such an important goal as this for Atlético to return to its natural home, which is La Primera División (the first division). We’re a little nearer thanks to this victory. I dedicate it to all the members of the
Frente Atlético
(the group of fans with whom Fernando usually watches the matches in the Calderón. He also gave them the match shirt) who have come here to cheer us on. They are fantastic and it’s worth battling on in order to get them the promotion.’ He also has words of thanks for his team-mates: ‘They’ve helped me so much and have accepted me into the squad. Without them, the goal would not have been possible.’ He’s in Seventh Heaven and you can understand why. But he wasn’t the only one jumping with joy. Paolo Futre declares: ‘Torres is a star player, a phenomenon who will bring a lot of joy to the fans of Atlético and will be fundamental to the future of Spanish football.’ And Cantarero adds: ‘Fernando is going to be this week’s leading figure. He deserves it and let’s hope he’s going to be the leading figure for the next few years.’

There is no mistaking the following day’s headlines, all of them about him: ‘A Magical Apparition in Albacete,’ said
El Mundo
, while
El País
screams: ‘Fernando Torres Saves Atlético.’ The TV channels call him into the studio to comment on his goal, to talk about himself, the two remaining matches of the league season and the chances for his team. From that Sunday on, little-by-little his life changes. From Albacete he gets to Fuenlabrada around two in the morning and, as his parents remember, ‘he went into his room and about five minutes later he was sleeping. But the morning after and for the following two days, his usual wolf-like hunger at breakfast disappears. His stomach shrinks due to the effects of all the emotion and his new-found fame. But the youngster gets over it easily enough.

What’s nothing like as easy to get over is the huge disappointment at Getafe two weeks later. In the Coliseo Alfonso Pérez (Getafe’s stadium, to the south of Madrid city centre), Fernando starts in the team for the first time and is the principal figure for the first 45 minutes. He has only matches behind him but he shows a maturity and coolness that some of his team-mates, with much more experience than him, do not display on this occasion. In spite of the numerous errors in front of Atlético’s goal, they chalk up a 1-0 victory but at the end of the match, there aren’t the celebrations many were hoping for. Everyone is quiet on the pitch, in the dugout and in the stands. The news from the radio has already reached the players, technical staff and the 10,000 Atléti supporters that Betis and Tenerife have won, which means Atlético will remain in the second division solely because of an inferior goal difference with the Canary Island team. The fans slowly slip away with heads bowed. Some vent their anger against the stadium, ripping out seats and throwing them towards the pitch. The police escort Jesús Gil and his wife out of the ground. Around 50
of the radical
ultra
fans call for heads to roll, shouting: ‘Gil, you bastard, get out of the Calderón!’ Paolo Futre kicks the wall and throws his ever-present cigarette into the far distance, muttering: ‘It’s been a huge disappointment but this pain is over. We’ve lost the battle.’ Cantarero declares: ‘We’re distraught. I’ve seen a lot of sad things in football but this has been the worst.’ The players depart in silence. It’s a big blow for everyone. And for Fernando Torres in particular. He’s shattered. He just wants things to move on as quickly as possible. He just wants to forget. He is experiencing the disappointment more as a fan than as a player. And it’s massive. What had been a dream has now turned into a nightmare. That night he takes refuge in his room in Fuenlabrada but this time he can’t sleep. He is inconsolable because of all the missed opportunities and the promotion that has now disappeared. The next year Atlético will have to start all over again in the second division. But first, Fernando still has to resolve, once-and-for-all, the strange matter of his phantom transfer.

It hits the headlines on 11 May. ‘We were coming back in the coach from Sevilla where we had lost the final of the Copa del Rey (King’s Cup). It was night-time and we were about 7 miles from Madrid. Someone was listening to the radio when suddenly one of the sports programmes on the
Cadena Ser
station announced that Valencia had signed Fernando. He knew absolutely nothing about it. No one knew anything about it. It seemed very strange to us given that Jesús Gil had been in the dressing room with the lads before the game and, as always, had sung along with us ‘Atlético 1-2-3 Go get ’em.’ It seemed impossible that they would have sold El Niño but the news spread like wildfire and when we eventually arrived at the Calderón there were loads of media there, all waiting for Fernando but he had got off outside Madrid at the Hotel Los Olivos. Recalling
how it all started is Miguel Ángel Gómez Gonzalez, aged 45 and known to everyone as ‘Cirilo’.

At that time he was the Atlético kit man and had followed Torres’ progress step-by-step through the junior ranks. The news on
Cadena Ser
is like a bomb going off. It turns out that on 15 March 2001, the Madrid club had received 400 million pesetas (about £2 million), which, including VAT, became 464 million, from Valencia Football Club to deal with a liquidity problem – and the Atlético directors had put up the rights of their ‘golden boy’ as guarantee. If they didn’t pay the debt within the time stipulated (by 25 June), then Fernando Torres would become a Valencia player on 1 July. It was an operation that provoked a huge row, stirred up the anger of the fans and ended up being the subject of a legal investigation. Miguel Ángel Gil, director general of Atlético Madrid, maintained that it was ‘a usual thing between clubs, to use players’ transfers to disguise loans’. The professional league said that it had never seen anything like it before. Torres denied having signed a contract which obliged him to leave and denied absolutely having any preferred option for that club. His representatives talked of compensation of 2,600 million pesetas (about £13 million) if Atlético did not pay up and Torres was forced to leave for Valencia. It wasn’t the case. The debt was paid off. El Niño’s adventure in Atlético Madrid continued.