Oh Fernando. There was a reason that Chelsea shelled out £50 million for him nearly four years ago. In January 2011, Fernando Torres possessed the reputation as being arguably the most lethal striker on the planet. Having burst onto the scene as an Athletico Madrid prodigy, captaining the side as a 19 year old and scoring 91 goals before he was 24, the Spanish hot-shot continued his mean goalscoring streak in England, bagging 81 goals in 142 games for Liverpool. He also scored the winning strike in the Euro 2008 final, and was part of the Spanish side that won the World Cup along the way. Now while Torres will point to his healthier medal haul as a justification for his exit from Anfield in 2011, the formerly potent hitman still probably rues the decision that swung his career in a completely different direction. At Stamford Bridge, he won an FA Cup, a Champions League and a Europa League, but he was no longer the fearsome superstar - the legend of Fernando Torres had been turned into a joke. With the enormous British record fee weighing upon his shoulders like an anvil, Torres failed to score a single goal in his first 903 minutes of football for the Blues, before finally ending his duck with a strike against West Ham in April 2011. This was to be his only strike for the Blues during the 10/11 season, having made 18 appearances for the Stamford Bridge outfit. With Chelsea supporters hoping that their multi-million signing would hit the ground running during the following campaign, they were soon disappointed as he missed an open goal at Old Trafford and was sent off in a home tie against Swansea City in September. His profligate form in front of goal continued throughout his time at Stamford Bridge, and not even a reunion with old boss Rafael Benitez could improve his fortunes although he did manage to bag the opener in the Europa League final. During his time at the club, he bagged just 20 league goals in 110 appearances for the Blues - a substandard total for any striker, but a shocking strike-rate for a supposed £50 million forward. Now on loan at AC Milan, the 30 year old shadow of the player that once galloped past defenders to blast home strikes has netted just once so far this season. Considering it took the Spaniard seven months to score his first 21 league goals for Liverpool, it almost beggars belief that it has taken the same player nearly four years to achieve the same total since leaving the club. So that's a wrap - what do you think? As always, feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
