The first time Fernando Torres went to the Vicente Calderón to watch Atlético Madrid was just over 20 years ago, one cold day in January 1995. His grandfather Eulalio had already made an Atlético fan of him and that afternoon over lunch someone suggested heading to the match. Torres remembers Diego Simeone but otherwise his 'debut', a 1-1 draw with Compostela, was not particularly memorable and was far from glorious. Which was appropriate, somehow.
Torres made his debut in the Second Division at 17, an idol for supporters who sang his name to the tune of Can't Take My Eyes Off You – he was described by one columnist as "one part prodigy, one part folk hero, one part native son, one part messiah" – and he played for Atlético for seven years, helping them return to the First Division, but he did not win anything and was never close. He recently revealed that Atlético's fans encouraged him to leave, for his own sake.When he did depart he had never beaten Real Madrid. Not once. And then, seven-and-a-half years later, he returned.
Things are different now. Torres returned to Atlético a world and European champion, via Liverpool, London and Milan. In the meantime, under Simeone, the man he had watched that winter’s afternoon and then later captained, Atlético had started winning too. They’d beaten Real for the first time in 14 years and 25 matches to win the Copa del Rey at the Santiago Bernabéu and had taken the league title, 18 years on. “The club has changed completely,” Torres said when he came back to the place he described as his “only home”. He was about to experience first hand just how much.
Kissed the turf
Presented on a Sunday in front of 45,000 fans , three days later Torres defeated Real for the first time with Atlético. Eight days after that he travelled to the Bernabéu and beat Real again. Atlético won 2-0; Torres scored them both, his first ever goals at his rivals’ home. It took him 38 seconds of the first half to score and 35 seconds of the second half to score again, knocking Real out. In the next round he scored after 38 seconds against Barcelona, his first Calderón goal in almost 3,000 days. He knelt down and kissed the turf.
Atlético were knocked out that night, losing 2-3, but when Real Madrid next visited in the league Torres crossed for Mario Mandzukic to score the fourth in a 4-0 win, their biggest derby victory in 64 years and their first home league win against Real in 17 seasons. As for Torres, he had gone from no wins in seven years to three in less than a month. Not a bad way to come home.
And yet Torres’s figures since returning are fairly modest: he has four goals and in the league has scored as many in his own goal as in the oppositions’ goal, with one in 12 league games. He has none in two Champions League games, one assist in the league, none in Europe. That third goal for Atlético, against Barcelona in the cup, had come from his third shot. Away at Sevilla he was superb, away at Málaga last weekend he was poor , but his performances have been steady rather than spectacular.
Star of the forward line
Mandzukic is the lead No9 and has 12 league goals while
Antoine Griezmann
is the star of the forward line, on 18. Only Torres has the status that Simeone does, but what Simeone says is “Gospel”, the striker insists. “When I spoke to [Simeone] about returning, I knew what he wanted: he wants players to help the team and anyone who does not fit that is going to have problems,” he said. “I’m here to be useful.”
Mandzukic will start tonight, according to Simeone. Torres will wait for his chance. Guardian Service
