Fernando Torres is no gag in football!

In January 2011, Fernando Torres became the subject of a £50 million transfer after handing Liverpool a transfer request on deadline day and hence becoming the subject of disgust, disinterest and jokes for the Liverpool fans.

But on the other side of the country, it was Ancelotti’s dream to land Torres at Chelsea because of his goal scoring exploits. Hence, he convinced Abramovic to make a move to bring ‘El Nino’ to Stamford Bridge. He was impressed by the scoring rate of Torres, approximately 49.5 minutes per goal, which was way better than Drogba’s 65 minute and Anelka’s 215 minutes per goal average.

Although, after joining Chelsea, Torres has not been in the best of forms, Chelsea’s style of play has not done any good to his game either. At Liverpool, the game was built around him. The high expectations that come with a £50m transfer price, and with pressure for his place from Drogba, did not help either.

Jose Reina, the Liverpool goalkeeper and his close friend, suggested that Chelsea’s former boss André Villas-Boas, and the way the club treated him, was responsible for the striker’s poor form. He said that, with Villas-Boas at the helm, Torres was never confident.

He has been struggling, and even Spain manager Vicente del Bosque said that Chelsea striker Fernando Torres will not regain his place in the national set-up unless he improves his club form.

The hapless hitman became the internet’s number one figure of fun and football fans came up with new Torres puns from time to time. Below are a few examples:

-Fernando Torres walks into a bar and says, “I’ll have a couple of shots please.” The barman says, “That’s not like you.”

-Worried about her son, Torres’ mum sends him to a career adviser. All goes well until he asks: ‘What are your goals?

-“You could’ve had the trophy for £50 million” says Uefa

His desperation could be seen every time he is on the field. He strives to win the ball from the word go, trying to get past defenders and fool the goalkeepers. He selflessly sets up team mates, and is always a team man. Even though he has had many failures, he has had the courage to hold on, which has seen him score 12 goals and 13 assists in 64 appearances. More importantly, Abramovic didn’t bring Torres just for one season. He paid £50 million for the talent and finesse that Fernando Torres possesses and once he settles down at Stamford Bridge, he could well prove his worth.

In fact, the tides seem to be changing their course. Torres broke the shackles, and showed a glimpse of his past form, in the game against Leicester city in an Fa Cup tie. In the 2nd leg of the Champions League semi final, Torres scored the £50 million goal which helped Chelsea beat the reigning champions Barcelona and qualify for the final.

But that was not to be the end. In the next premier league encounter, which was against their London rivals Queens Park Rangers, the no.9 scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 win. A stupendous season now looks much more meaningful for the out of favour striker. Torres’ revival is also a summary of how Chelsea’s season has turned up. While struggling in the beginning, they now have won a domestic cup and have a champions league final to play.

Despite all the speculations about Torres’ decline in form, the hostility of Red fans and exit rumors, Torres has been the most talked about footballer. He was even ahead of Lionel Messi in terms of popularity even though he might not have justified the £50 million tag. A database of 70 million odd fans on a social networking site suggested that Torres was the most chattered over in the last 30 days. The Spaniard was ahead of Rooney and Messi. There is no better number 9 other than Fernando Torres.

The place which Torres has in the heart of fans still speaks volumes. Torres might have to answer some questions of the Liverpool fans, but now at Chelsea, it can be easily seen what Torres means to them. The fans in Blue have shown great support while accepting the form of their No.9. No matter what Torres does on the field, he will always be loved by the lovers of the game. He is one of the best number 9s football has seen in the recent past and one cannot write him off so easily.

He was the most loved star of the Premier League, as stats showed that Premier League shirts featuring Torres’ name were the most popular replicas to be sold across the world.

Torres is a few of those players in football who maintain their agility both at club level and national level. That’s what makes him a favourite among his team-mates as well as his mentors.

“	We complement each other very well. We get on well on the pitch and very well off it too. We’re a good partnership. We both chase down defenders, put pressure on and fight to create chances for each other.	”
-David Villa on Torres

Fernando Torres has been described as a world-class striker and is “quick, strong, impressive in the air, blessed with expert technique and is cool and collected in front of goal”.

Every sports person goes through a rise and falls in his career. Fernando Torres is one such player who has gone through both phases. Fernando Torres, surely, will again be at the summit as his recent success has shown. His fans would be waiting in anticipation.