2. Fernando Torres
Peter Byrne/PA Archive/Press Association ImagesHas any player transformed from a legend to a total joke so quickly than El Niño? After we nabbed him from Atletico Madrid it looked like Torres was going to be as prolific a striker as Fowler of Rush, a true and deserving successor to the throne. In 102 games for Liverpool he scored 65 times, including more hat tricks than we can count on both hands, more than proving he was worth the £20 million price tag from Madrid (which also takes into account the amount paid for Luis García to go back to his old club). It's difficult to remember at times just how amazing Torres was at Anfield. Within no time he'd surpassed Fowler's record of 20 goals in a season and Owen's own personal best too, racking up as many wins on the pitch as he did in the PFA Awards. By the end of the 2008 season he'd set a new record for the most prolific foreign goal scorer in a debut season, ably stealing the crown from Ruud van Nistelrooy. Already Chelsea were sniffing around, but rumours were poo-pooed by anyone with sense, and we're glad they were. The next year he scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Everton in the derby match, secured a 3-2 victory over Man City (coming back from 2-0 down) with another couple of howlers, and managed another handful of hat tricks in the 2009-10 season. It was clear then, though, that Fernando was beginning to run out of steam. Benitez substituted him a few times, citing exhaustion, and he reaffirmed his commitment to the team when Roy Hodgson took the manager's chair. Which turned out to be absolute codswallop, as he defected to Chelsea in February 2011 where we take only a smidge of pride in saying he struggled to secure his debut goal for seemingly ever, and has so far managed only a couple of dozen goals in over a hundred games. Oh yes, he peaked at Anfield, and he would've been better off if he'd stayed. Although, it was Hodgson...