Fernando Torres was the guest of the night at the radio programme ‘El Mirador’ of Punto Radio, where he talked about the present of Atletico of Madrid, the National Team and his trajectory in this season. The forward answered the questions of Josep Pedrerol –manager of the programme- and his collaborators for more than an hour.

The forward pointed out that to achieve a place at Europe is the main aim for Atletico this season: “Everybody talks that Atletico must be in Champions, but for us, being in UEFA is a great step regarding to last year. We are very close of the first places and it seems that UEFA is a lower award, but watching last seasons it would be a great step. If we classify for Champions it would be magnificent, but we should go step by step”.

Regarding to the project of this season at the first round, number ‘9’ pointed out the clues to achieve the aims in the long term: “Is difficult to do a project from a year to another, to sign up a coach and ten players each year. Atletico’s urgencies obliged us to look for results before the game, because we have to return to Europe, and once the team would be in that place we should try to maintain it and other players will come to reinforce the team. It is very difficult that a team so new like ours would achieve all this in one year, making a great play and winning everything. I am young and I have time to achieve titles, I hope that this project and this team keep ahead. The worst thing is to bear those years without achieving anything, instead of making a solid project that at the end will obtain benefits”.

About the red and white supporters, the forward assumes the demand of Calderon’s stands: “Atletico’s supporters have seen playing his team in Champions League, fighting Leagues, and for a long time they haven’t seen that. They are very demanding fans because they have on mind those awards and those titles. It is usual that they want to see to their team touching the triumph again, but luckily the fans are always there. I hope the moment in which Atletico comes back to the place deserve will be soon.

There was also time to talk about the Spanish National Team. Regarding to his absence in the last match against Rumania, Fernando affirmed that he hopes “to play at Old Trafford with the National Team” at the practice match against England that will be celebrated next February 7th. About what happened in the World Cup, the forward commented that “there was a good environment. There weren’t any problems with Raul. He was at the National level, good at the first phase and failing against France. The work made was very good though at the end we failed against a National Team that played many years together and they get to the final.

Regarding to the relationship among the coach, Luis Aragones, with the veterans of the National Team number ‘9’ pointed out that “I don’t know if there have been conversations, but I imagine that like in every club veterans talk with the coach to improve the situation. The results after the World Cup haven’t been very good and that has exaggerated things”.

Fernando Torres also analyzed the fact in which some occasions we listen critics in the Spanish fields against players of the National Team: “At Spain are more important the clubs than the National Team, and when you are at the National Team you still are a player of a club. Fifteen players from different clubs play together and the supporters cheer up the players of their club. There are other countries in which the supporters care more for their National Team, and idolize the rival club’s player just because they are wearing the colours of their National Team. That isn’t the culture of Spanish football”.

Regarding the recent signing up of Ronaldo for Milan, the forward was amazed for the operation and commented that “for that price he could have signed for Atletico of Madrid. It surprises me that a player like him could leave for that amount of money. Those kind of players know that wherever they go they will play, and if they don’t play they are not comfortable. I am sure that at least they haven’t even planned to sell him to Atletico of Madrid for that amount of money and the truth is that it has surprised me.

Likewise, the Madrilenian player analyzed the course of David Beckham from Real Madrid and his contribution to the world of football: “He is a great player that has change the course of football, nowadays is not just a sport. Unfortunately each day is more a business and at the end we are part of it. Having him at the stands is incredible, but we should see the good things he had contributed to Real Madrid. He had been in a difficult moment in which there weren’t titles and maybe that have provoked him to leave this way, but you have to remember the best things”.

Fernando Torres also talked about the reason that has taken him to be faithful to Atletico’s colours: “The truth is that I’ve grown up in a club that has gone to the worst moment of its history and I have supported it, a kind of influence that has impeded me to improve because I had to assume other responsibilities. There is an interest for me to leave from Atletico that I will never understand”.

”Regarding to the comfort, what it would be comfortable to me would be leaving to Chelsea, not staying at Atletico: this is a goal and a risk. Those are different points of view, but you have to analyze with knowledge, not with intuitions. We have to inform more. There are a lot of things I had scarified to stay here, I am not earning that money and many other things just to stay here, and is not pleasant to hear that I stay due to comfort. The other way around. For me the most comfortable position would’ve been to accept an offer after the World Cup, taking out the pressure, and earning more money and titles. My decision was to stay and it shouldn’t be questioned, because nobody knows my reasons.

At last, number ‘9’ warned about some behaviours at the fields of junior footballers: “Now you see boys 10 or 12 years old playing and the terrace seems to be of First Division, listening nonsense comments of their own parents. That is regrettable, because it damages the children. I remember having teammates with better conditions than me and their parents demanded them what they were suppose to do from the stands. They don’t realize that children should play to have fun, to play some sport. The moment they’d see football as a work or an obligation is when they won’t enjoy it. I never felt obliged to play. At no moment I thought about being a professional player and If I would’ve been a substitute some year or I wouldn’t have played, I would have left Atletico to play at my neighbourhood, because the only thing I wanted was to play football.


Photo: Jose Antonio Garcia Sirvent