Full name: Fernando José Torres Sanz
Date of birth: March 20, 1984
Birthplace: Madrid, Spain
Nationality: Spanish
Height: 186 cm
Weight: 79 kg
Club: Liverpool
Position: Forward [L, C]
Number: 9

Personal Profile
Fernando José Torres Sanz is a Spanish football player currently playing for Liverpool, born in Fuenlabrada, a large suburban town south of Madrid. At 17, Fernando became the youngest player to play for Atlético Madrid and, two years later, the youngest to become its captain at age 19.

Nicknamed 'El Niño' (the Kid) for his youthful face, he plays for Spain and Liverpool and is a noted striker. In his association with Spanish football he has scored 55 goals over 5 seasons, however Samuel Eto'o and David Villa are the only ones apart from Torres who have scored more in the same period. Torres played two seasons in the second division where he scored 7 goals in 40 games.

Torres signed his first contract with the club in the year 1999 and at the year end of the 1999-2000 season he was one of the regular team members. His immediate success was seen at European Under-16 Championship in England in 2001, where he was awarded with Player of the Tournament and led Spain to victory.

A Newcastle United scout informed manager Bobby Robson about Torres’ heroics. Robson however, decided against him. Torres then made his début for in the Vicente Calderón Stadium against Leganes and scored his first goal for the club in a game against Albacete. Torres did not find difficulty to move up from second tier as he already had scored 13 goals. He was the top scorer for Atlético in La Liga for a consecutive four seasons. Come 2003–2004, Torres made further steps forward as he scored 19 league goals in just 35 appearances. Under his captaincy Atlético's improved, however they finished 7th behind Sevilla due to goal difference in the two team's head-to-head record (2-1, 0-2).