Being a spiritual, football and media leader of a great team it would be a consequence of several battles at sport and emotional level. A kind of final edge in a pyramid built roc by roc on basis of professional experience that harden the head and feet. But Fernando Torres, a maximum reference of Atletico of Madrid, is the opposite side. “I took the responsibility they gave me without knowing it, because I had it so young, with 18 years old”, the striker tells that with just few matches at the first squad he was chosen by the mass media and by the red and white supporters as the emblem sent to sprout the old success achieved by the club.

Today, 23 years old, he can be proud that his Atleti finally has a good campaign (at this moment are in the sixth place of the table). “We are great players, and above all Javier Aguirre. He is the key we lacked these last years” ‘The Kid’ affirm.

- Basing on what you have seen since he came, how do you analyze Matias Fernandez future?

Knowing that Villarreal has a special ability to find players with talent in places that here in Europe aren’t known too much. Matias comes with that guarantee. They brought Diego Forlan when nobody bet for him; they brought Guille Franco when nobody knew him. Probably he is going to be an important player and he is going to score a lot of goals. He did it at Chile and that is about time. There is no need to demand them a lot of responsibilities now because there are other players in the squad that today have to take advantage of that.

- A lot of people attributes him the responsibility to be the replacement of Riquelme.

It would be a mistake trying to see Riquelme on him. They have to try to see a new player that has possibilities to stand out. To compare two players is a mistake. Matias should take advantage that here people doesn’t know him a lot to exploit his virtues; because nobody knows how he makes a play or which variants he has to shoot the ball. He has an advantage.

- What do you think about the situation Manuel Pellegrini is living in Villarreal?

When you are in a team as Villarreal, that really was a small team that never had achieved anything, you have to be conscious that growing goes little by little. Pellegrini knew how to make a great team and take great players. He gave the club a great quality jump. We have to give him the credit of giving that jump regarding to the times of Benito Floro, making Villarreal an important team at Spain. You can’t forget that so easily.

- Has surprised you the level of an unknown player at the middle like Claudio Bravo?

The truth is that Bravo has surprised us all. When he won the place at Real Sociedad he was the same person, he wasn’t playing good, but it wasn’t the goalkeeper. And however, he won his place. Here at Stadium Vicente Calderon he did a great match. He stopped all we shot. And when you see the matches you notice the level isn’t there just for a single day, above more than one mistake that anyone can make.

- As a striker, Pablo Contreras is a difficult defender to play against?

Contreras is a good player. For Atleti especially, it’s hard to win in Vigo. The couple he makes with Matias Lequi is strong, very hard.


Interview: Newspaper La Tercera

Photo: Jose Antonio Garcia Sirvent