Liverpool Football Club has announced that Spanish
striker Fernando Torres passed a medical on Tuesday and will
complete his move to Anfield later today.
The 23-year-old is expected to make the deal official this
afternoon before being unveiled to the media.
A club spokesman said: "The player has passed a medical. All the
agreements are now in place and he will put pen to paper on the
deal on Wednesday."
The striker has spent the previous 12 years at Atletico Madrid, the
club he supported as a boy. The Spanish giants snapped him up at
the age of 11 after he netted 55 goals in his first season at
amateur side Rayo 13.
Three years after his arrival, Torres was named the best under-14
player in Europe following his performances in the Nike Cup. He
signed his first professional contract in 1999 but had to wait
until May 27, 2001 to make his debut against Leganes.
Still, at 17 years and 68 days, he was Atletico's youngest ever
player. Within a week, he'd scored his first goal in a match
against Albacete.
The 2001-02 season saw him net six times in 36 league appearances,
helping his side win promotion to La Liga.
Meanwhile, he was still making waves on the international
scene.
Torres was top scorer and player of the tournament in the 2001
European Under-16 Championships and 2002 European Under-19
Championships, both of which Spain won.
The frontman bagged 13 goals during his first season in the Spanish
top flight, earning him a first under-21 cap for his country.
The 2003-04 campaign proved to be a momentous one for Torres. Not
only did he score 19 goals in 35 league appearances, but he was
also handed the club captaincy. At 19, he was the youngest skipper
in Atletico's long and illustrious history.
On top of all this, the youngster was also called up into the
senior Spain squad, making his full debut in a friendly with
Portugal on September 6, 2003. The following April he scored his
first international goal against Italy. He was then part of the
Spain squad which traveled to Euro 2004 in Holland and
Belgium.
Torres got his first and only taste of European competition when
Atletico entered the Intertoto Cup prior to the 2004-05 campaign.
He scored twice in five games but tasted defeat in the final at the
hands of Villarreal.
The player nicknamed El Nino (The Kid) because of his youthful
appearance was selected for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where he
scored three goals.
In May 2007 Torres hit the headlines when he revealed the words
'You'll Never Walk Alone' on the inside of his captain's armband
during a match against Real Sociedad.
If he completes his move to Anfield as expected on Wednesday, he'll
leave Atletico with a record of 82 goals in 214 league
appearances.
source:liverpoolfc.tv (liverpool official website)
