Atletico Madrid loan deal for AC Milan striker Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres admitted it was "another
dream" to rejoin boyhood club Atletico Madrid on loan, just two days
after agreeing a permanent move to AC Millan from Chelsea.
The
Spaniard agreed to make his loan switch from the English Premier League
leaders to the San Siro a permanent one on 27 December, but by the 29
December he was announced as an Atleti player on loan until the summer
of 2016. The move, confirmed on the website of the Spanish La Liga
champions, sets the 30-year-old up for an emotional return to the
Vicente Calderon.
He told clubatleticodemadrid.com:
"I'm going to Atletico in the pursuit of my happiness. When I was a
child, my dream was to play for Atletico. I achieved that and to come
back now is another dream I get to accomplish again. I've been fine with
other teams, but there isn't one like Atleti."
A lifelong fan of Los Rojiblancos, Torres did not celebrate when Chelsea
scored against Atletico in the UEFA Champions League earlier this season
and has made his love of the club well known. "I was not a Liverpool fan
or a Chelsea
fan in Madrid," he once said. "I was an Atletico fan. I still am. Maybe
they're the only badge I will kiss." Torres scored 91 goals in 244
appearances for Atletico after making his debut as a 17-year-old in 2001.
The Spain
striker sent a message to the Atletico fans on Monday, saying: "Nobody
can doubt how I'll feel wearing that shirt again. Atletico fans always
demand your all on the field and I guarantee that I will give them that
and more."
Liverpool signed him from the Spanish club in 2007 and, after thrilling Anfield for the best part of four years, he left for Chelsea
in a £50m switch but the move started a steady decline in his personal
fortunes. Despite winning the FA Cup, UEFA Europa League and
Champions
League, he found goals hard to come by and a return of 45 goals in 172
games, while not prolific, is still not a true reflection of his
struggles.
Just 20 of those goals were in
the Premier League, scant return compared to the 65 the double European
champion and one-time World Cup winner got for Liverpool. He joined
Milan at the start of the season but has continued to labour for goals,
netting just once.
A statement from Atletico
read: "Fernando Torres returns to Atletico Madrid after an agreement
reached by our club with Milan for the international striker to play on
loan for the remainder of the season and one more. The player will have a
medical on 5 January. He returns home, where he trained as a player and
became one of our biggest stars."
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