In brief
Torres left Liverpool to win titles, despite having a stellar debut season with 33 goals.
He struggled at Chelsea, attributing his downfall to his own slowness of adaptation.
Torres accepted responsibility for his patchy play while winning the FA Cup and Champions League at Chelsea in spite of obstacles.
Fernando Torres was regarded as one of Europe’s most deadly strikers while he was at Liverpool. The highly regarded attacker joined Liverpool for a then-club record transfer fee of about £26.5 million in the summer of 2007 after making a name for himself with Athletico Madrid in his native Spain.
According to Torres, his career peaked during his time in the northwest of England, and it was also during this time that he scored the most goals. However, the Spaniard left the team after only three and a half seasons to join Chelsea, a league rival. Torres’ individual performances quickly declined as a result of the move, which also devastated Liverpool supporters at the time. Many people were curious as to why Torres left the Merseyside club, so he gave an explanation.
An Anfield Hero
Torres quickly became a fan favourite at Liverpool
With 33 goals in 46 games across all competitions at the end of his first season, Fernando Torres had a stellar start to his Liverpool career. The Anfield supporters welcomed him right away, and he formed a disastrous alliance with Steven Gerrard, a legend of Liverpool.
The Spanish striker, who finished third in the 2008 Ballon d’Or behind only Lionel Messi and eventual winner Cristiano Ronaldo, was widely recognised for his achievements during this period and was considered an exceptional football player. However, Liverpool did not win a single title under Torres, proving that his individual prowess did not convert to team success.
Chelsea, who had recently won both the Premier League and the FA Cup in the 2009–10 season, had overtaken the Spaniard by 2011. Torres submitted a transfer request to try to push through the move after the London club rejected his proposal. In January 2011, he finally joined Chelsea from Liverpool for a British record sum of £50 million, making him the most expensive Spanish player in history at the time.
Statistics for Fernando Torres in Liverpool vs. Chelsea
Club
Looks
Objectives
Helps
Liverpool
142
81
19.
Chelsea
172
45
31
The Statements of Torres
The Spaniard gave an explanation of why he left Anfield.
Looking back on his career, Torres clarified that his ambition to win trophies was the primary driver behind his decision to leave Liverpool. In September 2020, he said the following to talkSPORT:
I left my favourite team, Atletico, with the intention of taking home titles. Although I was thrilled at Liverpool, it was a tough time since the team was going to be sold; they were selling all of their players and starting to sign fresh players.
Prior to Torres’ departure, Liverpool was going through a rebuilding period after selling Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano and firing manager Rafa Benitez.
Making a winning team would take another six or seven years, and I didn’t have that much time. I had to figure things out on my own, and that meant travelling to Chelsea. I believed the club would give me a better opportunity of taking home prizes.
Torres never recovered the deadly goal-scoring form he demonstrated at Liverpool after a turbulent period at Chelsea. Speaking on his time in London, the forward held himself responsible for his challenging tenure at the team.
Perhaps it was my fault for not being able to adjust more quickly; I had my moments of success but wasn’t reliable. Someone will enter if you don’t perform every week.
“I always blamed myself for it. Even though I was old enough to solve problems, I chose not to. Although I didn’t do it every week, I did win the awards.
Torres’ form was further hampered by Chelsea’s frequent manager changes, as he played under five different managers in his three and a half seasons there:
When I signed, the manager was [Carlo] Ancelotti. I didn’t sign for that reason, but I did talk to him before I did. The management is replaced annually. and a large manager is constantly involved.
“I believed Chelsea was the team that would provide the opportunity to win more titles, even though I was aware of the challenges of travelling there. A generation like that needed to win the Champions League, and they hadn’t done so. At last, we succeeded.
Torres received the prizes he wanted while at Chelsea, winning the FA Cup and Champions League in 2011–12 and the Europa League in 2012–13, despite his personal troubles there.
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