See you soon, Fernando Torres
Saying goodbye is never easy. On the final match of the 2017/18 season, Fernando Torres played his final match for Atlético de Madrid. In total, he played 404 times for our club and scored 129 goals.
He came to Atlético de Madrid as a kid and he's leaving as a legend. Against Eibar on the last matchday of the season, Fernando Torres played his last match for our club. In total, he defended our red and white colours a total of 404 times and scored 129 times.
Torres joined our academy when he was 11 years old and he was an Atlético fan through and through thanks to his maternal grandfather Eulalio. At just 17 years old, on 27 May, 2001 he made his debut at the Vicente Calderón against Leganés. Just seven days later, he scored his first goal for Atleti and gave us the win against Albacete.
Just a year later, he played his first match for our club in First Division in a magical stadium: the Camp Nou. Match after match, Torres kept on leaving his mark both on and off the pitch and was building his status as an Atlético legend.
Such was his mark as an idol that he played his 100th match for our club on 24 January 2001, when he was just 19 years old. During the 2007 summer transfer window, Torres left our club and signed for Liverpool, but he promised to come back. “I hope this is a ‘see you soon’. Coming back will always be on my mind," he said.
He did come back. On 4 January 2015, 45,000 fans filled the Vicente Calderón to welcome Fernando back to the club. Since his return, he slotted right back into our side and kept on scoring goals. On 6 February 2016, Torres scored his 100th goal for Atlético in our 3-1 win against Eibar.
On the Vicente Calderón's farewell match, Torres scored two of the three goals against Athletic Club. It was the best possible way to say goodbye to the stadium where he made his debut for our club. Against AS Roma at the Wanda Metropolitano, he surpassed Luis Aragonés' mark of 370 matches.
On 15 April 2018, he scored in our win against Levante UD and become our fifth top goalscorer with 127 goals. Just a month later, he won the UEFA Europa League in Lyon and made a dream that he's had since he was a child come true. "For all the kids who have dreams, nothing is impossible, and if you an Atletico then even less so," he said.
Four hundred and four matches. Fernando Torres Atlético de Madrid legend.
