One year after his return to Atlético de Madrid, Fernando Torres will be the head coach of  U19 squad in top-flight league Division of Honor. The Madrilenian, who worked as assistant coach last season, gets the role of head coach as the Red-and-white club have announced. Also, Atlético have unveiled the names of coaches appointed for the Academy. The preseason start date is set for July 28. 

In words to club’s official media channels Fernando says he is  “very happy to stay at home and to be able to repeat in the Juvenil A team. It has been a wonderful experience. To learn from the players, who are the ones who make us improve, to grow as coaches and as people ad to recreate a group of Good, competitive youngsters who have the dream of reaching the first team one day”.

“I always thought that once I retired and decided to start training as a coach, there was no better place than my home to do it. Just doing my bit but above all, to learn a lot. There are great professionals in all departments, a methodology that I think helps the boys to grow as footballers and as people. I’m very involved in collaborating, learning, demanding of the boys, demanding of ourselves so one day in the future we can see them as first team players, which is the target we all have here”.

????Fernando Torres will be the coach of Juvenil A for the 22/23 season:

"For us, Atleti is like life, believing in what you do and dreaming that you can achieve it". pic.twitter.com/TwEGEUtEnE

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) July 14, 2022

Fernando also talked about the success of the Academy teams last season, with a lot of youth teams crowned Champions: “There are many more people working on a methodology, on a way of facing life, on teaching values, a way of being, that feeling of belonging, which comes from much further down, and that is something to be proud of because this year’s results are not a coincidence, we are only reaping the fruits of the work of many years, and it is something to be proud of”.

About his personal experience with U19 the year before, as assistant coach, Fernando highlighted that “we try to transmit them above all that he culture of hard effort is what leads you to achieve your goals and form there is when they find their maximum level. It is a very important year for them because they get very close o what is a professional calendar, a professional demanding, but above all what we try to transmit to them is that this is about people. I think that this year one of the most beautiful things we had is that they have realized that when they are a group, they can compete with anyone, And they have done it. We are very proud of them and we hope we can find the key whit this new generation and achieve at least the same results.

“For us Atlético is like life, believing in what you do, dreaming that you can achieve it, and there is nothing more similar to life than being at Atleti, working at Atleti, living at Atleti, because it will help you, later on, to be able to face any situation you have on a personal level”, Torres said.

Last season, with Fernando Torres in assistant coach role, Atlético U19 side grabbed 27 wins in 32 fixtures to win the title, with also 3 draws and 2 defeats. A remarkable record of wins to convert 84 points. About the scoring record, 76 goals (2.43 per game) fired the Red-and-white to the title as well as a strong defensive performance with only 15 goals conceded (0.46).

A special mention deserves the team's great European campaign, as the lads managed to place Atlético de Madrid badge among the best Europe four youth teams on the Final Four, as they have completed this decisive round in Nyon UEFA headquarters for the first time ever. Despite the dream ending in the semi-finals against Salzburg, the back-to-back remarkable away win against Hajduk Split (0/1-0/1), Real Madrid (2-3), and Borussia Dortmund (0-1) will remain as an amazing performance. A season to remember that places Atlético de Madrid Academy on the top.