Welcome to the first part of Fernando Torres’ interview with Vogue magazine. The striker, who posed for the eight page special in May’s magazine wearing El Corte Ingles’ exclusive label ‘Emidio Tucci’, reflected on his career so far, from his first steps in the game for the ‘Rojiblancos’, to the life of a footballer on Merseyside.

- When did you know that you wanted to become a footballer?

"As a child, the only thing I really enjoyed doing was playing; but not just football, anything. I joined Atletico Madrid when I was 10 years old, but I never knew how things would turn out- or if I was going to become a professional footballer. Although it never crossed my mind to drop out, when I look back, I remember when I was 10 years old and how hard it was for my parents and my brothers to take me to training. It took an hour by bus from Fuenlabrada to Orcasitas, then a further two hours, in two different buses, before we eventually reached Majadahonda. It was a big sacrifice until I eventually turned 15 years old and the club started to pay for my education and also help out with everything. When I started at Atletico Madrid I never thought that I would become a footballer.”

- During your time in the Atletico youth sides you always said that you played for fun. Does the same apply when you play the game professionally?

It’s a lot harder. You enjoy some games, seasons, certain moments, but it becomes a lot more complicated because several things come into play. As a professional footballer, it stops being hobby because there’s a lot more to the game than just football.

- You made your Atletico debut aged 17, and you had to mature quickly... When you were 18, you were made captain of a club with over 100 years of history, and that was going through some very tough times. How did this all affect you?

There were many good and bad times. Even after I made my first-team debut, I didn’t think that I would be a footballer (all my life). So many of my youth or reserve team companions made their debuts and then disappeared!

It was a further step to fulfilling my dream of playing football, but it was still a dream and not yet a full-blown reality. The change was so great that I probably went from seeing things as something fun and enjoyable, to coming face to face with reality and truth of it all. Football was no longer for fun, it was no longer a hobby, it became my job and I started to see how things worked behind the scenes.

- Is it not pretty then what goes on behind the scenes?

A supporter would be very surprised if he or she found out about everything that surrounds the game and how it operates on all levels. How young players who have debuted for the first-team end up playing in lower-league sides, how top-flight players have fallen to the way-side and how other footballers who were late-starters, go on to be successful. People believe that footballers are just big stars, but a lot of work has been put in, there are many players who don’t make it. Everything about the professional game is different, the money involved, personal interests, favours ... there are things that are there, that exist, and that are not very nice.

- Do you consider yourself as one of the privileged few?

I have enjoyed exactly the right amount of luck a player needs. I’ve been more or less lucky when it comes to injuries. My family have always been behind me and they have not put me under any pressure. A player’s environment is very important, as are the people you meet along the way who are there to help.

-Then came your move to England. Did you give it much thought?

When the opportunity arose, I didn’t think twice. It was the right move. I went to Liverpool, passed the medical tests, met people from the club and had almost everything tied-up… but it wasn’t until I visited the Vicente Calderon to say goodbye that I realised that I was not coming back. I realised that my life would change, I was no longer going to live at home, or to be around my friends or family. You leave everything behind to follow your dream and you have to give 100%, and there’s no point looking back and starting to miss things from home. I knew this was my chance, and I had to give it my best shot.

- It’s turned out to be a great move!

I will never know what might have happened to me had I left the club earlier. But I think that I left at the right time. Now that I have experienced the Champions League, I regret not having played in the competition earlier, although looking back, it didn’t depend on me. The biggest prize would have been to have played in the Champions League with Atletico Madrid, but it wasn’t to be.

- Has your daily routine changed at all from when you lived in Spain?

Massively. Here we don’t have all the media pressure that exists back in Spain. It’s a delight to play in England, to train without the media or fans present. To be able to train all morning without any problems, like for example something appearing the next day in the press about a bust-up or an argument between players. There’s plenty more peace and quiet here. Training ends, and you go home, and if you want, you can totally switch off from football.

Although people recognise on the street, they have a lot more respect for your privacy than in Spain. The day-to-day life of a footballer is completely different here, and it’s a point I really appreciate and value- because I like to do my own thing, without people hastling me. This way of life in Spain would be impossible…

[To be continued...]


Photo: J.A. Sirvent