Club career
Atlético Madrid
After progressing through the ranks, Torres won his first important youth title in 1998. Atlético sent an under-15 team to compete in the Nike Cup, in Spain and Europe, to play against youth teams from other clubs; Atlético won the tournament. He was later voted the best player in Europe for the age group. In 1999, at the age of 15, Torres signed his first professional contract with Atlético. He spent his first year playing in the youth team and participated in the Honor Division when he was 16. The 2000–01 season had started poorly, as Torres suffered from a cracked shinbone which kept him out of play until December. Torres trained with the first team to get prepared for pre-season, but eventually made his debut on 27 May 2001, at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, against Leganés. One week later, he scored his first goal for the club, against Albacete, and the season finished with Atlético narrowly missing out on promotion to La Liga.
Atlético were promoted to La Liga at the end of the 2001–02 season, although Torres did not perform well in the season, as he netted only 6 times in 36 appearances in the Segunda División. Torres's first season in La Liga, 2002–03, was better, however, as he scored 13 goals in 29 appearances, with Atlético finishing in 11th place. In July 2003, soon after his takeover of the club, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich had a £28 million bid for Torres rejected by Atlético's board of directors. In the 2003–04 season, his second in La Liga, Torres made further strides, scoring 19 league goals in 35 appearances, meaning he finished as the joint third-highest scorer in the league. At age 19, Torres was named Atlético's captain. Atlético narrowly missed out on qualification for the UEFA Cup, but by finishing in seventh place in the 2003–04 season, they qualified for the 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup, giving Torres a first taste of a competition at the European level. He scored two goals in the two fourth round matches against OFK Beograd, with one coming in each leg. Atlético reached the final, but lost 3–1 on a penalty shoot-out to Villarreal following a 2–2 draw on aggregate. FA Premier League champions Chelsea were believed to be interested in signing Torres during the summer of 2005, but Atlético club president Enrique Cerezo said that they had "no chance" of signing him. Cerezo later said in January 2006 that the club was willing to listen to offers for Torres, and Torres claimed Newcastle United of the FA Premier League had made a bid to sign him in March.
Torres stated after the 2006 FIFA World Cup that he had turned down an offer to join Chelsea at the end of the 2005–06 season. He scored 14 league goals in the 2006–07 season. The English media reported that he was the main transfer target of FA Premier League club Liverpool, but Cerezo stated, "We've received no offer from Liverpool or any other club or player." Days later, however, new reports suggested Atlético had agreed a deal with Liverpool for Torres; the fee was rumoured to be £25 million with Luis García moving to Atlético in a separate transfer deal. On 30 June, Atlético announced a deal to sign Diego Forlán from Villarreal, in what was seen as a move to replace Torres before his departure became official. On 2 July, it was reported that Torres had cut short a vacation to fly back to Madrid to finalise the move to Liverpool. The following day, Torres passed a medical at Liverpool's Melwood training ground. He held a press conference in Madrid on 4 July to bid farewell to the Atlético fans, before completing his move to Liverpool on a six-year contract. The transfer fee was the highest in Liverpool's history. In March 2008, manager Rafael Benítez stated in an interview with The Times that Torres was acquired for around £20 million, although this figure takes into account García's move to Atlético.
2007–08 season
Torres made his competitive debut for Liverpool against Aston Villa in a 2–1 win on 11 August 2007. He made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League four days past his first performance in a 1–0 victory over Toulouse, after coming on as a 79th minute substitute. His first Premier League goal came on his Anfield debut on 19 August 2007, in the 16th minute in a 1–1 draw against Chelsea. His first hat-trick came in a 4–2 victory over Reading in the League Cup on 25 September 2007, with all of his goals coming in the second half. His first goals in the Champions League came on his third appearance in the competition as Liverpool beat Porto 4–1 on 28 November 2007, as he scored twice.
Torres was named the Premier League Player of the Month for February 2008, during which he scored four goals in four appearances, including a hat-trick against Middlesbrough on 23 February 2008. This hat-trick and another in a 4–0 victory over West Ham United on 5 March 2008 meant he became the first Liverpool player since Jack Balmer in November 1946 to score a hat-trick in successive home matches. Later in March, after he scored a 47th-minute header against Reading at Anfield, he became the first Liverpool player since Robbie Fowler in the 1995–96 season to score 20 league goals in a season. In April, he scored another Champions League goal, this time against Arsenal in the quarter-final second leg, as Liverpool advanced to the semi-final. This goal took him onto 29 goals for the 2007–08 season in all competitions, eclipsing Michael Owen's personal record for goals in a season. On 11 April 2008, it was announced Torres had made a six-man shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award, which was eventually won by Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United. The Spanish international was also nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year Award, which was won by Cesc Fàbregas of Arsenal and was named in the PFA Team of the Year. In May, he finished second to Ronaldo for the FWA Footballer of the Year award.
On 4 May 2008, Torres scored a 57th-minute winner against Manchester City, which equalled the consecutive Anfield league goal record of eight games set by Roger Hunt. After scoring his 24th league goal in the final game of the season, a 2–0 win against Tottenham Hotspur, he set a new record for the most prolific foreign goal scorer in a debut season in England, eclipsing Ruud van Nistelrooy's 23 goals. He ended the season in joint second place with Emmanuel Adebayor in the race for the Premier League golden boot. Torres was subject to media speculation that Chelsea were willing to pay £50 million to sign him, but Torres responded by saying it would be "many years" before he left Liverpool. Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks also negated the idea of a transfer, saying he would not allow Torres to leave the club at any price.
2008–09 season
Torres made a scoring start to the 2008–09 Premier League season with a 25-yard shot into the bottom right-hand corner away at Sunderland, which was the only goal in a 1–0 win on 16 August 2008. He suffered a hamstring tear in a 0–0 draw against Aston Villa, which would keep him out for two to three weeks. Torres made his return in a 2–1 victory against Marseille in the Champions League and went on to score two goals in the Merseyside derby against Everton on 27 September 2008 to give Liverpool a 2–0 win. He followed this up with another two goals the following weekend against Manchester City in a 3–2 win away at the City of Manchester Stadium as Liverpool came back from a two-goal deficit. The first of these was the thousandth Liverpool goal to be scored in the Premier League. Torres picked up a hamstring injury during a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier, meaning he was likely to miss three games for Liverpool. On 22 October 2008, Liverpool played Torres's former club Atlético in the Champions League at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, but his injury meant he missed out on the game. Atlético president Enrique Cerezo had given him a VIP invitation to watch the game, but he declined this to continue his rehabilitation from injury in Merseyside. He was named in the FIFPro World XI team for the 2007–08 season on 27 October 2008.
Torres made his return for Liverpool on 8 November 2008 after coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute in a 3–0 victory against West Bromwich Albion. He said he would be interested in returning to former club Atlético eventually, saying, "I don't know if I will retire there, but I would like to go back and finish some things that are left to do." He was ruled out of action for two to three weeks following Liverpool's 1–0 victory over Marseille in the Champions League in November, where he picked up a hamstring strain, which was later extended to at least four weeks by specialists. He was named on the shortlist for the FIFA World Player of the Year award in December, and eventually came in third place behind Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Torres returned to action on 3 January 2009 as a substitute with a goal in the 2–0 win over Preston North End, his first in the FA Cup. He scored two late goals for Liverpool to secure a 2–0 victory over Chelsea on 1 February 2009. Despite having spent a year and a half at the club, Torres was chosen as number 50 in The Times's list of "The 50 greatest Liverpool players", reinforcing the impact he had made at Liverpool in such a short period of time.
signifying Liverpool's five Champions League titles (to United's three). He was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the second season running in April 2009. Torres scored his 50th goal for Liverpool on 24 May 2009 against Tottenham on the final day of the 2008–09 season, his 84th appearance.
2009–10 season
Following the end of the season, Torres agreed a new contract with Liverpool, which he signed on 14 August. By signing, Torres had the option of a one-year extension after the contract's expiration in 2013. Torres scored two goals in a 3–2 win over West Ham United on 19 September 2009, a result that took Liverpool to third in the Premier League. One week later, he scored his first hat-trick of the 2009–10 Premier League season in a 6–1 victory over Hull City at Anfield. He was named Premier League Player of the Month for September, after scoring five goals during the month and becoming the Premier League's top goalscorer. On 25 October 2009, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 victory for Liverpool over Manchester United, after which Rafael Benítez praised Torres's performance, saying, "We were waiting for that final pass. When it came we knew he would score."
Torres was named in the FIFPro World XI for the second successive season in December 2009. His stoppage-time winning goal against Aston Villa on 29 December 2009 made him the fastest Liverpool player ever to score 50 league goals. He was substituted on 65 minutes in a 1–1 draw with Birmingham City on 4 April 2010, which Benítez justified by saying Torres was "exhausted". Torres made his last appearance of the season scoring twice in a 4–1 victory over Benfica in the Europa League on 8 April 2010, and it was announced on 18 April that he would miss the rest of the season to undergo knee surgery. This meant that Torres finished the season with 22 goals in 32 games in all competitions, finishing as Liverpool's top scorer for the second time.
2010–11 season
Following Roy Hodgson's appointment as Liverpool manager, Hodgson stated that Torres would not be sold by the club, saying, "He is not for sale and we don't welcome any offers for him. We want to keep him." Hodgson dismissed reports Torres was set to leave Liverpool by saying, "He has told us that he is looking forward to Monday, to getting back to work and looking forward to playing for Liverpool next season. That is what I know so other reports, I would suggest, are erroneous." Torres stated his commitment to Liverpool on 3 August: "My commitment and loyalty to the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed."
Torres made his first appearance of the 2010–11 season in the opening match, a 1–1 draw with Arsenal on 14 August 2010, entering the game as a substitute in the 74th minute. He scored his first goal of the season with the winner in a 1–0 victory over West Brom on 29 August 2010, his 50th goal at Anfield in all competitions. Torres scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory at home to Blackburn Rovers on 24 October 2010, his first goal since August. He scored his final goals for Liverpool in a 3–0 win away at Wolverhampton Wanderers on 22 January 2011.
Chelsea
On 27 January 2011, Torres was the subject of a £40 million bid from Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea, which was rejected by Liverpool. He handed in an official transfer request to Liverpool the next day, which was rejected. Torres completed his move to Chelsea on a five-and-a-half-year contract on 31 January 2011 for an undisclosed fee reported to be £50 million, which set a new record for a British transfer and made him the sixth most expensive footballer in history. He made his Chelsea debut on 6 February 2011 in a 1–0 home defeat to former club Liverpool. On 23 April 2011, Torres scored his first goal for Chelsea against West Ham United in a 3–0 victory, which ended a run of 903 minutes of football without a goal. This was his only goal for Chelsea in the 2010–11 season, having made 18 appearances for his new club.
2011–12 season
Torres got the 2011–12 season underway in Chelsea's 0–0 draw away against Stoke City on 14 August 2011, in which his "link-up play was sharp, plus he was willing to make intelligent runs into space to receive the ball". He scored his second goal at Chelsea, and his first of the season, on 18 September 2011, in a 3–1 away defeat to Manchester United. However, that was overshadowed by his miss at an open goal. He scored his second goal of the season at home to Swansea City in a 4–1 victory. Ten minutes after his goal, however, a two-footed challenge on Mark Gower resulted in his first red card in English football and a three-match domestic suspension. On 19 October 2011, Torres scored two goals in a 5–0 victory against Genk in the Champions League, his first in Europe since the quarter-final of the 2008–09 Champions League with his old club Liverpool, against Chelsea. His next Chelsea goals came after scoring twice and also assisting two others against Championship team Leicester City in an FA Cup quarter-final on 18 March 2012, ending a goal drought that stretched 24 games. On 31 March 2012, Torres scored his first Premier League goal since 24 September 2011, against Aston Villa in a 4–2 away win.
Torres came on as a substitute for Didier Drogba on 24 April 2012 to score a last-minute goal against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final, which gave Chelsea a 2–2 draw and sealed their place in the final. He scored the first hat-trick of his Chelsea career in a 6–1 win against Queens Park Rangers at Stamford Bridge on 29 April 2012. Torres came on in the second half of the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final on 19 May 2012, directly after Bayern Munich's opening goal, and following a 1–1 draw after extra time Chelsea won the penalty shoot-out 4–3. His first full season at Chelsea finished with 11 goals in 49 appearances.
2012–13 season
Torres started the 2012–13 season in the 2012 FA Community Shield against Manchester City at Villa Park, where he scored the opening goal, as Chelsea lost 3–2. On 19 August 2012, he appeared in Chelsea's first league match in a 2–0 away win against Wigan Athletic. Torres scored his first goal of the season in Chelsea's next match on 22 August 2012, a 4–2 home win against Reading, scoring the third goal to give his side the lead. He also scored against Newcastle United, Arsenal and Norwich City as Chelsea topped the table in the early weeks of the season.
Torres was sent off for receiving two yellow cards against Manchester United on 28 October 2012, the second for diving, leaving Chelsea with nine men after teammate Branislav Ivanović was also sent off; the team went on to lose 3–2. Torres scored his first goal in the Champions League for the season after deflecting Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov's clearance into goal, as Chelsea needed a 94th-minute winner from Victor Moses to secure a 3–2 victory on 7 November 2012. On 21 November 2012, Roberto Di Matteo was replaced as Chelsea manager by Rafael Benítez, who had previously coached Torres at Liverpool. It was reported that one reason for Benítez's appointment was to help Torres return to his best form.
Torres ended a goal drought that stretched over 11 hours of game time with two goals in Chelsea's 6–1 defeat of Nordsjælland in the Champions League on 5 December 2012. Three days later, he scored another two goals, ending a run of eight Premier League games without a goal, as Chelsea defeated Sunderland 3–1. He then scored in Chelsea's 2012 FIFA Club World Cup semi-final 3–1 win against Monterrey of the Mexican Liga MX on 13 December 2012, before playing in the 1–0 defeat to Brazilian Série A side Corinthians in the final three days later.
On 14 March 2013, Torres scored the third goal as Chelsea defeated Steaua București 3–1 to advance 3–2 on aggregate to the quarter-final of the Europa League. With this goal, Torres became the first player to score in seven different competitions in one season. He scored twice against Rubin Kazan in the 3–1 win in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final on 4 April 2013, before scoring again in the second leg 3–2 defeat, with Chelsea progressing to the semi-final 5–4 on aggregate. Torres scored the opening goal in Chelsea's 2–1 triumph over Benfica in the 2013 UEFA Europa League Final on 15 May 2013. During the final match of the season, a 2–1 home win over Everton, he scored his first league goal of 2013, and finished the season with 22 goals in 64 matches.
2013–14 season
Torres was selected to start by Chelsea's new manager José Mourinho against Hull City on the opening day of the 2013–14 season, where he won a fifth-minute penalty kick. He scored his first goal of the season in the 2013 UEFA Super Cup against Bayern Munich. On 28 September 2013, he was sent off after receiving two yellow cards in Chelsea's 1–1 Premier League draw with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
Torres made his 100th start for Chelsea against Schalke 04 in a Champions League match on 22 October 2013 and marked the occasion by scoring two goals in a 3–0 win. His first Premier League goal of the season came on 27 October as he scored the winning goal in the 90th minute over title challengers Manchester City, while also providing the assist for André Schürrle's opener.
AC Milan
Torres joined Italian Serie A club AC Milan on a two-year loan on 31 August 2014. He debuted on 20 September, replacing Andrea Poli for the last 14 minutes of a 1–0 home defeat against Juventus and scored his first Milan goal with a looping header in their 2–2 draw with Empoli two days later.
Return to Atlético Madrid
On 27 December 2014, it was announced that Torres's move to Milan would be made permanent on 5 January 2015, but two days later, he agreed to rejoin La Liga club Atlético Madrid on loan until the end of the 2015–16 season. The loan was agreed after Alessio Cerci went the opposite way from Atlético to Milan on the same day. Torres's unveiling at the Vicente Calderón Stadium on 4 January drew a crowd of 45,000 persons. He played the first match of his second spell on 7 January, starting in the first leg of a Copa del Rey last 16 tie against Real Madrid. He had no shots on target and was replaced by Koke after 59 minutes, but Atlético won 2–0. Eight days later in the second leg, he scored two goals – in the first minute of each half – as Atlético advanced, his first goals in an away Madrid derby. Torres scored in the first minute again in the quarter-finals, albeit in a 2–3 home defeat against Barcelona.
Torres scored the winning kick in Atlético's 3–2 penalty shoot-out defeat of Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of the teams' Champions League round of 16 tie on 17 March 2015. Four days later, he scored his first La Liga goal since his return in the third minute of a 2–0 win against Getafe.
On 6 February 2016, Torres scored his 100th goal with Atlético Madrid in a 3–1 home league victory against Eibar on his 295th appearance for the club. The following month, he marked his 300th appearance for Atlético by scoring in a 3–1 victory over Valencia. He scored the opening goal of Atlético's UEFA Champions League quarter-final with Barcelona at the Camp Nou on 5 April, before being sent off ten minutes later in an eventual 2–1 loss.
Torres signed for Atlético permanently on 5 July 2016, on a one-year contract. In February 2017, he scored his 100th league goal in Spanish football when he netted a brace against Leganés. On 4 July 2017, Torres signed a new one-year contract with the Rojiblancos to stay with his boyhood club for one more year after they were banned from signing new players.
Torres came on as a 90th-minute substitute on 16 May 2018 as Atlético beat Marseille 3–0 at Parc Olympique Lyonnais in the 2018 UEFA Europa League Final. He scored two goals in his last match with Atlético in a 2–2 draw versus Eibar in the final week of championship.
Sagan Tosu and retirement
Torres signed for J1 League club Sagan Tosu on 10 July 2018. He scored his first goal for the club on 22 August in the Emperor's Cup, netting in a fourth round victory over Vissel Kobe. His first league goal followed five days later when he scored once and assisted a further two in a 3–0 win over Gamba Osaka. On 21 June 2019, Torres announced that he would retire from football. He made his farewell in a J1 League match against Vissel Kobe on 23 August 2019, when he faced former Spain teammates Andrés Iniesta and David Villa. The game ended in a 6–1 defeat for Sagan Tosu.
