WORLD CUP ROSSONERI: FERNANDO TORRES

Fernando Torres was, at the time, one of the most successful strikers of his generation - he is one of six players in history to have won the Champions League, Europa League, European Championship and World Cup - but also a splendid talent not always expressed at 100 %. His is a career marked by goals: many, but not always as many as the predictions suggested at the beginning of his career, after a remarkable development in Atlético Madrid's youth academy.

He became their youngest ever debutant, in 2001, and also the earliest captain in history at the age of 19 in 2003. That same year El Niño made his debut with the Spanish national team - in a friendly against Portugal - and a few months later, in April 2004, came his first goal against Italy. That Bel Paese he then tasted for a few months, as a player much more mature in age, with the AC Milan shirt in the 2014/15 season.

For what has been an 'erratic' career with clubs - brilliant with Atlético and, especially initially, with Liverpool; mostly colourless with Chelsea and in the Rossoneri jersey - the best things in his 20-year professional career Torres has probably been seen with the Furie Rosse. After his first experiences at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, in fact, Fernando was part of that unrepeatable cycle of triumphs for Spain, European champions in 2008 and 2012 as well as World champions in 2010.

At Euro 2008 he was a key player, with the winning goal in the final in Vienna against Germany, while in South Africa 2010 El Niño was able to make his mark as a star player despite never scoring, fuelling a sort of 'tradition' of number 9 World Champions with European teams, in the new millennium, rarely (Toni in 2006, Schürrle in 2014) or never (apart from Torres, Olivier Giroud in 2018) finding the net in the month of the World Cup.

The crucial watershed of Del Bosque's team's South African experience was undoubtedly the Round of 16 final against Portugal, after the group's hard-fought victories over Honduras and Chile had 'cancelled out' the effects of the surprising opening defeat to Switzerland. In Cape Town, against the Portuguese, veterans of the 2006 semi-final in Germany, it was a tough sporting battle, decided by David Villa's goal in the 63rd minute.

A fixture in which Torres provided more of a demonstration of sacrifice and contribution for his team-mates, for a collective that in that month of glory was capable of outstanding solidity. All the matches in the knockout phase, in fact, ended with the same result: 1-0 Spain. And Fernando showed his best stuff in the final act against the Netherlands: it was Torres who inspired, along with Fabregas, Andres Iniesta's decisive goal in the 116th minute. Proving himself capable of making an impact even without scoring: a rare gift for a striker.

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