Fernando José Torres (born on 20 March 1984 in Madrid, Spain) is a football player who grew up in the Fuenlabrada neighbourhood. He is nicknamed El Niño (The Child), because of his youth.
Torres made his debut for Atlético de Madrid in 2000. He is the youngest player to play for Atleti, the youngest goalscorer, and the youngest to play for the Spanish national side. Torres is a forward, and wears the number 9 shirt. He is a complete player; strong in the air, quick, skillful with both feet and not physically intimidated. He is currently one of the coveted players in Europe, but it doesn't look like he will move any time soon, as his love for 'los rojiblancos' is well known. As of December 30, 2004, Torres' goal tally for the club stands at an impressive 50.
In the summer of 2005 Chelsea and Manchester United were fighting to sign him with millions of pounds being said to be offered. Yet Torres decided to stay with Atlético de Madrid. However in the January 2006 transfer window cash-strapped Atlético de Madrid have made Torres available with a price tag around £25 million. Tottenham Hotspur had apparently been the only club to capitilise on this with a reported bid for £20.5 million. But it went no further than that.
