Back on October 27, more than 57,000 professional football players from around the globe voted for the strongest team of the 2007/08 Season. And for a second year running, the Liverpool and Spain number ‘9’ was selected in the starting line-up. Just over a month following the decision, Fernando Torres and team-mate Steve Gerrard were presented with their award by the PFA’s Deputy Chief Executive Mick McGuire, who is also vice-president of FIFPro.

Mick McGuire praised the striker at the ceremony held at Liverpool’s Melwood Training Complex: “Fernando made an incredible impact last season and deserves great credit for making a seamless switch from La Liga to the Premier League. And his wonderful performances at Euro 2008 clearly showed that he has honed his skills playing in the English league, and he is a truly accomplished player.”

The voting for FIFPro’s World XI came from 42 national players’ associations, with the final winning line-up consisting of: Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, John Terry, Carles Puyol, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard, Xavi, Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Fernando Torres.