Fernando Torres, the most awaited return

Closed the agreement with Milan for which Alessio Cerci would play on loan at the Lombard entity until June 2016, the return of Fernando Torres to Atlético de Madrid is the story of a return with a strong emotional charge for what his appearance, its consecration and also its departure. Seven and a half years after he left for Liverpool, after passing through Chelsea, and after this last brief assignment to Milan, the youth squad will return to Atlético, where he always confessed that he would return. Player and club have made an effort in the economic section so that their paths cross again. The operation could only be truncated if Cerci, wanted by Inter, refused to play for Milan. Adriano Galliani, general director of the Italian club, closed on Wednesday night the agreement that includes the former Torino player. Between today and tomorrow the last fringes will be finished.

He has the wind in his favor between the feeling of the stands and the effort that Simeone has made to return after the failed attempt this summer. The role that he will play has already been transmitted to him by the coaching staff. In the presence of Mandzukic, El Niño will be an important player, but not in every game. Mandzukic has changed the team's attacking style, more ambitious in terms of playing in the opposite half and having more possession of the ball, but Simeone wants more offensive alternatives. With the Croatian striker, when Atlético falls back to defend in their own half, they don't have a footballer who can stretch him by playing long. That Torres returns, not only means a return to the past for him, it is also for the style of the team.

Torres emerged with Atlético suffering in the Second Division. He made his debut at the Calderón against Leganés on May 27, 2001. It was Luis Aragonés who gave him the alternative and took care to polish his controls in the race and his definition. Faced with the financial and sporting turmoil that plagued the entity, the stands adopted El Niño as a symbol and a foundation of hope on which to stand in those dark days in the club's history. Barely 17 years old and with a face dotted with freckles that highlighted his youthful airs, he had to endure the pressure of being the flag of Atlético from the first minute. The fans recognized him from the first day as one of their own and brandished him as a source of pride: a mattress maker to the core and with an international dimension beyond any doubt. The season following his debut, Atlético returned to the First Division. Four courses without qualifying for the Champions League and a juicy offer from Liverpool, of 35 million euros, led to his departure after scoring 91 goals in 244 games. Torres wanted to fly higher and the club needed the money. Outside of Spain he established himself as an international with the conquest of two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup.

During his tour of England, Torres scored 81 goals in 141 games for Liverpool, but did not win a title with the Reds. In the winter market of 2011 he went to Chelsea for 59 million euros, the most expensive transfer in history between Premier clubs. With the blues he played 172 games, scored 45 goals and won the Champions League and the English Cup. Already champion of Europe and the world with Spain, neither under the direction of Villas Boas, nor under those of Di Matteo and Mourinho, Torres managed to establish himself at Stamford Bridge. His brief stint at Milan also responded to an old longing, for the admiration that Van Basten and the Rossoneri club always aroused in him. From there, condemned to ostracism by coach Inzaghi, he has found the definitive bridge to complete a long-awaited comeback.