Winning trophies with his boyhood club and rediscovering his scoring touch is what Fernando Torres really craves after returning home to Atletico Madrid.
Fans flocked to the Vicente Calderon on Sunday to welcome back their idol after a loan deal was agreed with AC Milan for Torres to play for the La Liga champions until the end of next season.
Torres, a product of the Atletico youth system, made his debut aged 17 and went on to become a talisman for Atletico at a time when the club was struggling on the pitch.
The former Atletico captain played 244 games before deciding to seek his fortune abroad by joining Liverpool in 2007 for a fee reported to be 20 million pounds ($30.65 million).
“Away from the pitch a lot has happened since I moved. I am more mature and I am a happier person with a family,” Torres said at his presentation.
“On a sporting level I was very young and I had a very difficult decision but I knew I had to leave for me and for the club to grow. It was the hardest moment of my career but it has worked out as the club is now stronger and has won titles.
“For me I got the trophies that I wanted but there has always been something I lacked which was to win them here. I have a lot of motivation to win them here and hopefully I can do that with hard work.”
Torres adapted well to English football during his time at Liverpool but he failed to shine at Chelsea after making the switch to Stamford Bridge for 50 million pounds in 2011.
Having looked lost in front of goal during a loan spell at AC Milan this season, the pressure is on the 30-year-old Torres to return to the form he showed earlier in his career.
There would be no better place to rediscover his golden touch in front of goal than against Real Madrid in the King’s Cup last 16 on Wednesday.
“I have come here to give my all,” Torres said. “Atletico has grown a lot since I was here and it is now competing against the top clubs in the world like Real Madrid and Barcelona and it is this challenge against bigger teams which attracts me.”
