Torres was part of a quality group that includes Liverpool colleagues Xabi Alonso, Pepe Reina, and Alvaro Arbeloa at the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland. Torres appeared in all five of his country's matches as they advanced to the final in Vienna. The Spaniards were defeated by Italy who went on to win the title.
Torres made his international debut on 16 June 2004 against Israel at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. He came on as a 73rd-minute substitute for David Villa as Spain lost 1-0. His second appearance for his country came four days later in a 3-1 loss to Germany at the Stadion an der Alten Lübecker Straße in Cottbus.
He scored his first goal for his country in their 6-1 victory over Macedonia on 23 August 2004 at the San Siro in Milan. It was also his last game before he suffered an injury that would keep him out of action for nearly two years. Torres returned from this injury in time for Spain's UEFA Euro 2008 campaign but could not help his team reach the final after they were eliminated by Germany in the quarterfinals.
After the tournament had ended, it was announced that Torres would miss the majority of the 2009-10 season due to another knee injury.
Alonso had a successful summer, starting every game as Spain won the World Cup by defeating the Netherlands in the final. The 2010/11 season followed a similar trend to the previous one in that Alonso appeared in 34 of the 38 league matches as Madrid finished second to Barcelona once more.
During his time with Madrid, Xabi played 832 minutes of competitive football which is nearly 100 games. He scored 42 goals along with providing 15 assists. His average of 1.5 goals per game shows how prolific he was during his time at the club.
Alonso joined Liverpool in July 2007 and made an immediate impact by scoring on his debut against Manchester City. He went on to make 282 appearances for the Reds, scoring 52 goals and providing 20 assists. He ended his Liverpool career after winning two Champions League medals.
Alonso started his Spanish career with Racing Santander before moving to local rivals Real Madrid in 2001. He helped the club win four trophies in his three seasons there before joining Bayern Munich in 2004. After two successful years with the German champions, Alonso returned to Spain in June 2006 when he signed for Valencia. He spent three seasons at the Mestalla Stadium and won the UEFA Europa League in 2009/10. In 2011/12, Alonso moved back to Liverpool where he began his career.
Fernando Jose Torres Sanz (Spanish pronunciation: [fer'nando 'tores]; born March 20, 1984) is a former Spanish professional football striker. Torres began his career at Atletico Madrid, rising through their development system to become the main team. In July 2009, he moved to Liverpool for €20 million (£17.4 million). There, he became the club's all-time top scorer as well as its most successful player in Europe.
Torres has been called "Europe's No. 1 sniper" because of his ability to score goals from outside the penalty area. He is known for his accurate shooting and his ability to find the back of the net even when faced with heavy pressure from opponents.
After scoring 22 goals in 50 matches during the 2009–10 season, many experts predicted that Torres would be the league's top scorer again. But only one player was able to break this record: Barcelona's Lionel Messi scored 26 goals in 2011–12.
Torres left Liverpool after four seasons to join Chelsea for £50 million ($75 million). He made his debut on August 16, 2013 in a 3-1 win over Colchester United and scored his first goal for the club against Sunderland. He finished his first season at Chelsea by winning the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.
Torres spent much of the summer after that in South Africa, when an incredible 11-minute hat-trick against New Zealand propelled Spain to the Confederations Cup semi-finals. He returned to England aiming to assist the Reds win the Premier League for the first time, but it would be a difficult year for both player and team. After failing to deliver on home soil, Liverpool lost out to Manchester United in the title race on goal difference, with Chelsea pipping them to the post by just one point.
Torres' contribution to the season was limited by injury, as he made just 27 appearances and scored six goals. He was eventually replaced by Steven Gerrard during the winter break as Liverpool looked to build upon their successful campaign under manager Roy Hodgson.
Even before his move to Chelsea, Torres had earned a reputation for scoring spectacular goals, and he continued this habit at Liverpool. His first goal of the 2012/13 season came in the opening game of the season against Stoke City, where he scored an absolute belter from 25 yards out! It was also his first goal for Liverpool since November 2010, when he netted against Newcastle United.
However, despite having more space than most to play in, Torres rarely found himself behind the opposition's defence, as most of his goals came through balls played into his feet. He also notched two penalties, which shows how accurate he can be with the penalty spot.
The 35-year-old Spaniard, who joined Sagan Tosu from Atletico Madrid last year, scored 81 goals in four seasons with Liverpool and won the Champions League, Europa League, and FA Cup with Chelsea. Torres, who won the World Cup with Spain in 2010, stated on Twitter, "I have something really significant to reveal."
He added, "I'm pregnant!"
Torres and his wife, Sara Carbonero, married in July 2015 in a wedding that was attended by many of Spain's top soccer players including Diego Costa, Karim Benzema, David de Gea, Iker Casillas, and Juan Mata. The couple has two children together: a son, Diego Jr., and a daughter, Teresa. Torres first signed with Liverpool when he was 17 years old and played there for four years before moving to Chelsea. He helped the Blues win the UEFA Champions League in 2012 and 2013 and was named the Player of the Tournament after they defeated Bayern Munich 4-1 in the final.
After leaving Chelsea, Torres went on loan to Italian club Juventus and Spanish club Barcelona before joining Atletico Madrid in 2014. He finished as the league's top scorer with 51 goals and helped his team win the Europa League. In May 2016, Torres announced his retirement from professional football due to a persistent knee injury but returned to action six months later with Atletico Madrid's reserve team.
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