Showing his
colours? Torres wears a Liverpool scarf to pose with the World Cup
in the Spain dressing room following Sunday's victory over
Holland
Madrid memories:
Torres wears an Atleti scarf yesterday (left), three years after
wearing the club's red and white strip
It was the
picture that gave
Liverpool
fans hope:
Fernando Torres proudly wearing a club scarf in the aftermath
of Spain's
World Cup glory.
The Reds' official website even
dubbed it the 'best pic you'll see all year' - it has been a
pretty bad 12 months at Anfield - and a clear indication of his
love for the club.
But by the time the striker had
swapped Johannesburg
for a return home,
there was also a quick change of attire too.
Gone was the
Liverpool
neckwear for an
open-bus parade around the Spanish capital - in its place an
Atletico Madrid scarf.
The 26-year-old also draped
himself in a flag of his first club and appeared to tie an Atleti
'Torres No 9' shirt to the vehicle's top-deck
railings.
Back home: Torres
(nearside of bus, third left) bends down by an Atletico Madrid
shirt bearing his name and number as he wears a Spain flag adorned
with the club's crest
The
prolific goalscorer has never hidden his love for the Spanish club
and counts his connection with their fans as a reason why he would
have reservations about playing for Real
Madrid.
So does the scarf show Torres
wants to head back to Atleti? Of course not - but perhaps it shows
Liverpool fans were a bit too quick to paint his earlier
scarf-wearing as a sign that the player was staying at
Anfield.
Roy Hodgson admits he needs to
convince his star players that Merseyside is the place to be
despite a lack of Champions League football this season and the new
boss urgently wants face-to-face talks with
Torres.
Chelsea
have made a £40million bid
and Barcelona are also interested. Torres has
often voiced his love and commitment to English football's most
decorated team, but often with the caveat that they need to bring
in world class reinforcements this summer.
With a small budget making that
unlikely, Torres was ambiguous about his future when questioned
in South
Africa. He
wanted to wait until after the World Cup, now Liverpool are the ones who are
waiting.
