Fernando Torres finally made his dream move back to his boyhood club Atletico Madrid happen in the January transfer window. Before that he was on loan at AC Milan from Chelsea FC and safe to say that it did not work out as planned. Torres revealed to Spanish newspaper AS that it was because AC Milan made him promises but they did not keep them.
Torres was supposed to be the big name replacement for Mario Balotelli but he never lived up to the billing. He was still inconsistent when he joined the team and never made much of an impact on the team. The Spain striker only scored once in 10 appearances for Milan and did not notch an assist. He looked off the pace and was not in sync with his teammates.
To be fair to Fernando, he was not given much of a chance to begin with. It takes some time for a striker to gel with his teammates and he did not have the benefit of a preseason with the Rossoneri. Obviously he was still the famous El Nino of old then that adjustment period would be a non-issue, but for a striker in his 30s with shaky confidence, that period is crucial for his success.
Fernando Torres on unfulfilled promises at Milan:
"“The situation was so – I went with an expectation and with an idea which, later, was not met. I went to Italy to play, to be an important player, and at no point did I feel like it. I was in and out of the team, I played on one day, yes, and on another, no. This is not what I had spoken of from the beginning. My dealings with the club were excellent and I don’t have anything to reproach. But when you see it’s not going to get better, nor change the situation you have, you are uncomfortable.”"
Torres actually started three matches in a row for Milan from September 23rd to October 4th but never finished all 90 minutes. He also scored his only goal of the campaign against Empoli in that stretch. Since then, he was used on and off and never consistently as a starter. Milan may have made a commitment to him by taking him on loan for two seasons but it was clear they already had some buyer’s remorse.
So after buying him from Chelsea on a free transfer and loaning him to Atletico, both Milan and Fernando Torres are in a better place. The Rossoneri brought in the talented Mattia Destro on loan from Roma and Torres is banging in goals at a fantastic rate for Atletico Madrid. Theses goals are not against minnows like he did for Chelsea or Milan. In fact, he has scored all three of his Atletico goals against Real Madrid and Barcelona. He has yet to score in the league but Diego Simeone appeared to be saving him for midweek cup matches anyway.
It appeared that the magic ingredient necessary for Fernando Torres to find success again is confidence. Not just confidence in himself but the backing and confidence of his manager and club. Diego Simeone believes in Torres the way Rafa Benitez did and he has already paid dividends to Atletico. His last goal celebration was kissing the pitch at the Estadio Vicente Calderon and if his recent form is any indication we may be seeing more and more of that.