Fernando Torres believes time has shown he was right to leave Atletico Madrid when he did as ‘this is what I dreamed of as a kid.’
Torres quit Vicente Calderon for Liverpool in 2007 and before he returned a year ago, also turned out for Chelsea and Milan, reflecting on his exit as he appeared on El Laguero.
“I said I hoped I could return to the team when it was in the position it deserved,” he recalled, AS reports.
“The only way I saw possible was to leave the club. Thank God time has proved me right. The conscience of the team is better and I’ve had the good fortune to return. Now this is the dream I had as a kid.”
Torres’ first spell at Atletico saw him play alongside Diego Simeone, his current Coach, and El Nino considered Cholo as a trainer.
“He’s as tough and demanding as he has to be, he’s very intelligent and he can measure every moment and the message to reach you,” the striker continued.
“He knows that the team makes you better. If the team is fighting for things you will have opportunities to increase your numbers. What we’ve seen is that he has always been this way, ahead of everything.”
Torres is now a senior player in the Atletico squad and spoke of what it means to set the tone for the likes of Koke, Oliver Torres and Saul Niguez.
“I’ve had a lot of years and a very complicated time where hope was the only thing that kept us together. Today we live in a much more rewarding time,” he noted.
“So many years in the first team makes the kids look to you and I have always tried to be an example to them.
“I like it and I’m thrilled when I hear Koke or Saul or Oliver talk about me, speaking with honesty and heart. I’m lucky to share a locker room with them now.
“It’s something money can’t buy, seeing these players grow and advance and someday they’ll be the ones carrying the baton.”
