Fernando Torres thanks Gerrard

Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres says he is grateful to former teammate Steven Gerrard for shaping his career.

Torres has revealed that Gerrard played a crucial role in helping him weigh up his options before he decided to leave Liverpool and join Chelsea in January 2011 for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around the €50m mark.

“Gerrard changed my career and ambitions in terms of raising my goals and the way of wanting to win. He changed everything,” the 31-year-old is quoted as saying by AS.

“He talked with me a lot and even when I said I was leaving Liverpool he advised me to think of myself. Steven told me to do what’s best for me as there were people leaving all the time and I had nothing to prove.

“He transformed my way of seeing things and showed me I could go much higher than I’d always thought. I’m sure I’ll never find another teammate like him.”

The Spain international also backed Gerrard to be a success in Major League Soccer when he joins LA Galaxy in July.

“Of all the great players I’ve played alongside he is the best and I still think he has a lot to offer. Your body slows down as you get older but the technical ability still remains.

“The MLS is a much slower pace than England so I expect him to be very successful over there,” he claimed.

Tags Chelsea Fernando Torres Liverpool Steven Gerrard
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