Rabu, 17 Maret 2010

PERSIB BANDUNG YANG KUSAYANGI SAMPAI MATI

Persatuan Sepak Bola Indonesia Bandung

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Persib Bandung
Logo Persib
Nama lengkap Persatuan Sepak Bola
Indonesia Bandung
Julukan Maung Bandung
Pangeran Biru
Didirikan 14 Maret 1933
Stadion Stadion Si Jalak Harupat
Soreang, Kabupaten Bandung, Indonesia
(Kapasitas: 40.000)
Direktur Utama Bendera Indonesia Umuh Muchtar
Manajer Bendera Indonesia Umuh Muchtar
Pelatih Bendera Indonesia Jaya Hartono
Liga Liga Super Indonesia
2008-09 Peringkat 3
Kelompok suporter Bobotoh

Team colours Team colours Team colours
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Kostum kandang
Team colours Team colours Team colours
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Kostum tandang
Soccerball current event.svg Musim ini
Persatuan Sepak bola Indonesia Bandung, atau sering disingkat menjadi PERSIB adalah salah satu tim sepak bola Indonesia. Catatan prestasi tim ini relatif stabil di papan atas kancah persepak bolaan Indonesia, sejak zaman Perserikatan sampai ke Liga Indonesia masa kini.

Daftar isi

[sembunyikan]

Sejarah

Sebelum bernama Persib, di Kota Bandung berdiri Bandoeng Inlandsche Voetbal Bond (BIVB) pada sekitar tahun 1923. BIVB ini merupakan salah satu organisasi perjuangan kaum nasionalis pada masa itu. Tercatat sebagai Ketua Umum BIVB adalah Mr. Syamsudin yang kemudian diteruskan oleh putra pejuang wanita Dewi Sartika, yakni R. Atot.
Atot ini pulalah yang tercatat sebagai Komisaris daerah Jawa Barat yang pertama. BIVB memanfaatkan lapangan Tegallega di depan tribun pacuan kuda. Tim BIVB ini beberapa kali mengadakan pertandingan diluar kota seperti Yogyakarta dan Jatinegara Jakarta.
Pada tanggal 19 April 1930, BIVB bersama dengan VIJ Jakarta, SIVB (Persebaya), MIVB (sekarang PPSM Magelang), MVB (PSM Madiun), VVB (Persis Solo), PSM (PSIM Yogyakarta) turut membidani kelahiran PSSI dalam pertemuan yang diadakan di Societeit Hadiprojo Yogyakarta. BIVB dalam pertemuan tersebut diwakili oleh Mr. Syamsuddin. Setahun kemudian kompetisi tahunan antar kota/perserikatan diselenggarakan. BIVB berhasil masuk final kompetisi perserikatan pada tahun 1933 meski kalah dari VIJ Jakarta.
BIVB kemudian menghilang dan muncul dua perkumpulan lain yang juga diwarnai nasionalisme Indonesia yakni Persatuan Sepak bola Indonesia Bandung (PSIB) dan National Voetball Bond (NVB). Pada tanggal 14 Maret 1933, kedua perkumpulan itu sepakat melakukan fusi dan lahirlah perkumpulan yang bernama Persib yang kemudian memilih Anwar St. Pamoentjak sebagai Ketua Umum. Klub- klub yang bergabung kedalam Persib adalah SIAP, Soenda, Singgalang, Diana, Matahari, OVU, RAN, HBOM, JOP, MALTA, dan Merapi.
Persib kembali masuk final kompetisi perserikatan pada tahun 1934, dan kembali kalah dari VIJ Jakarta. Dua tahun kemudian Persib kembali masuk final dan menderita kekalahan dari Persis Solo. Baru pada tahun 1937, Persib berhasil menjadi juara kompetisi setelah di final membalas kekalahan atas Persis.
Di Bandung pada masa itu juga sudah berdiri perkumpulan sepak bola yang dimotori oleh orang- orang Belanda yakni Voetbal Bond Bandung & Omstreken (VBBO). Perkumpulan ini kerap memandang rendah Persib. Seolah- olah Persib merupakan perkumpulan "kelas dua". VBBO sering mengejek Persib. Maklumlah pertandingan- pertandingan yang dilangsungkan oleh Persib dilakukan di pinggiran Bandung—ketika itu—seperti Tegallega dan Ciroyom. Masyarakat pun ketika itu lebih suka menyaksikan pertandingan yang digelar VBBO. Lokasi pertandingan memang didalam Kota Bandung dan tentu dianggap lebih bergengsi, yaitu dua lapangan di pusat kota, UNI dan SIDOLIG.
Persib memenangkan "perang dingin" dan menjadi perkumpulan sepak bola satu-satunya bagi masyarakat Bandung dan sekitarnya. Klub-klub yang tadinya bernaung dibawah VBBO seperti UNI dan SIDOLIG pun bergabung dengan Persib. Bahkan VBBO (sempat berganti menjadi PSBS sebagai suatu strategi) kemudian menyerahkan pula lapangan yang biasa mereka pergunakan untuk bertanding yakni Lapangan UNI, Lapangan SIDOLIG (kini Stadion Persib), dan Lapangan SPARTA (kini Stadion Siliwangi). Situasi ini tentu saja mengukuhkan eksistensi Persib di Bandung.
Ketika Indonesia jatuh ke tangan Jepang. Kegiatan persepak bolaan yang dinaungi organisasi lam dihentikan dan organisasinya dibredel. Hal ini tidak hanya terjadi di Bandung melainkan juga di seluruh tanah air. Dengan sendirinya Persib mengalami masa vakum. Apalagi Pemerintah Kolonial Jepang pun mendirikan perkumpulan baru yang menaungi kegiatan olahraga ketika itu yakni Rengo Tai Iku Kai.
Tapi sebagai organisasi bernapaskan perjuangan, Persib tidak takluk begitu saja pada keinginan Jepang. Memang nama Persib secara resmi berganti dengan nama yang berbahasa Jepang tadi. Tapi semangat juang, tujuan dan misi Persib sebagai sarana perjuangan tidak berubah sedikitpun.
Pada masa Revolusi Fisik, setelah Indonesia merdeka, Persib kembali menunjukkan eksistensinya. Situasi dan kondisi saat itu memaksa Persib untuk tidak hanya eksis di Bandung. Melainkan tersebar di berbagai kota, sehingga ada Persib di Tasikmalaya, Persib di Sumedang, dan Persib di Yogyakarta. Pada masa itu prajurit-prajurit Siliwangi hijrah ke ibukota perjuangan Yogyakarta.
Baru tahun 1948 Persib kembali berdiri di Bandung, kota kelahiran yang kemudian membesarkannya. Rongrongan Belanda kembali datang, VBBO diupayakan hidup lagi oleh Belanda (NICA) meski dengan nama yang berbahasa Indonesia Persib sebagai bagian dari kekuatan perjuangan nasional tentu saja dengan sekuat tenaga berusaha menggagalkan upaya tersebut. Pada masa pendudukan NICA tersebut, Persib didirikan kembali atas usaha antara lain, dokter Musa, Munadi, H. Alexa, Rd. Sugeng dengan Ketua Munadi.
Perjuangan Persib rupanya berhasil, sehingga di Bandung hanya ada satu perkumpulan sepak bola yakni Persib yang dilandasi semangat nasionalisme. Untuk kepentingan pengelolaan organisasi, decade 1950-an ini pun mencatat kejadian penting. Pada periode 1953-1957 itulah Persib mengakhiri masa pindah-pindah sekretariat. Walikota Bandung saat itu R. Enoch, membangun Sekretariat Persib di Cilentah. Sebelum akhirnya atas upaya R. Soendoro, Persib berhasil memiliki sekretariat Persib yang sampai sekarang berada di Jalan Gurame.
Pada masa itu, reputasi Persib sebagai salah satu jawara kompetisi perserikatan mulai dibangun. Selama kompetisi perserikatan, Persib tercatat pernah menjadi juara sebanyak empat kali yaitu pada tahun 1961, 1986, 1990, dan pada kompetisi terakhir pada tahun 1994. Selain itu Persib berhasil menjadi tim peringkat kedua pada tahun 1950, 1959, 1966, 1983, dan 1985.
Keperkasaan tim Persib yang dikomandoi Robby Darwis pada kompetisi perserikatan terakhir terus berlanjut dengan keberhasilan mereka merengkuh juara Liga Indonesia pertama pada tahun 1995. Persib yang saat itu tidak diperkuat pemain asing berhasil menembus dominasi tim tim eks galatama yang merajai babak penyisihan dan menempatkan tujuh tim di babak delapan besar. Persib akhirnya tampil menjadi juara setelah mengalahkan Petrokimia Putra melalui gol yang diciptakan oleh Sutiono Lamso pada menit ke-76. Persib juga pernah menjamu klub-klub dunia seperti AC Milan
Sayangnya setelah juara, prestasi Persib cenderung menurun. Puncaknya terjadi saat mereka hampir saja terdegradasi ke Divisi I pada tahun 2003. Beruntung, melalui drama babak playoff, tim berkostum biru-biru ini berhasil bertahan di Divisi Utama.
Sebagai tim yang dikenal baik, Persib juga dikenal sebagai klub yang sering menjadi penyumbang pemain ke tim nasional baik yunior maupun senior. Sederet nama seperti Risnandar Soendoro, Nandar Iskandar, Adeng Hudaya, Heri Kiswanto, Adjat Sudradjat, Yusuf Bachtiar, Dadang Kurnia, Robby Darwis, Budiman, Nuralim, Yaris Riyadi hingga generasi Erik Setiawan merupakan sebagian pemain timnas hasil binaan Persib.

Stadion dan Mess

Hingga saat ini, Persib masih menggunakan Stadion Siliwangi untuk memainkan laga kandangnya. Stadion ini lolos bersyarat sertifikasi BLI sehingga layak untuk digunakan di kompetisi Liga Super Indonesia. Kapasitas Stadion yang hanya 20.000 ini membuat seringnya terjadi pembludakan penonton, seperti ketika Persib menjamu Selangor FC dalam sebuah pertandingan persahabatan, juga ketika Persib menjamu Persema Malang di Divisi Utama tahun 2007.
Pada Indonesian Super League 2008/2009, Persib terpaksa harus meninggalkan Stadion Siliwangi setelah terjadi kerusuhan ketika menjamu Persija Jakarta pada pekan kedua. Ditambah situasi politik yang sedang memanas akibat berlangsungnya Pemilu 2009, Kepolisian Kota Bandung tidak lagi mengeluarkan surat ijin menyelenggarakan pertandingan di Stadion Siliwangi bagi Persib. Sebagai alternatif, dipilihlah Stadion Si Jalak Harupat, Soreang, Kabupaten Bandung, sebagai "home-base" hingga akhir musim kompetisi.
Berdasarkan permasalahan itulah Pemerintah Kota Bandung berencana membangun Sarana Olahraga baru, termasuk stadion, di kawasan Gedebage. Stadion itu sendiri, yang peletakan batu pertamanya dilakukan pada awal 2008, ini diproyeksikan untuk menjadi home-base Persib serta untuk menyelenggarakan SEA Games tahun 2011 nanti. Stadion ini juga direncanakan untuk digunakan pada Porprov Jawa Barat 2010. Saat ini, kontrak pembangunan stadion yang rencananya akan diberi nama West Java Stadium ini telah diperoleh PT Adhi Karya Tbk dengan nilai Rp495,945 miliar. Diperkirakan, pembangunan stadion ini akan memakan waktu 883 hari.
Untuk lapangan latihan, Persib menggunakan Stadion Persib di Jl. Ahmad Yani. Stadion yang dulunya dikenal dengan nama Stadion Sidolig ini direnovasi sejak tahun lalu. Kini di stadion tersebut terdapat lapangan latihan dengan rumput baru dan trek berlari serta di sampingnya terdapat mess untuk tempat tinggal para pemain dan staff Persib serta untuk kantor. Pada pertengahan bulan Juli diadakan rencana renovasi tahap kedua, yaitu merenovasi bagian depan stadion yang sekarang ini hanya merupakan ruko-ruko tempat menjual kaos persib dll. Rencana ini menimbulkan kerisauan bagi para pedagang di sekitar Stadion Persib karena mereka tidak akan mendapat penghasilan jika diwajibkan mengosongkan lahan bisnis mereka.
Sejak diresmikan, pernah bocor and ambruk akibat pipa air yang bocor. Belum lagi masalah rumput lapangan yang mengering karena terlamess persib sudah beberapa kali mendapatkan masalah. Atap ruang VIP di mess lu sering dipakai. Akhir-akhir ini atap mess juga bocor akibat musim hujan, sehingga menyebabkan licinnya lantai dan terganggunya aktivitas. Letak Stadion Persib yang berada di Jl. Ahmad Yani yang merupakan pusat keramaian juga membuat istirahat para pemain terganggu dan mudahnya para bobotoh untuk masuk ke dalam stadion.

Prestasi

Salah satu catatan unik dari tim ini adalah ketika menjuarai kompetisi sepak bola Perserikatan yang untuk terakhir kalinya diadakan, yaitu pada tahun 1993/1994. Dalam pertandingan final, Persib yang ditulang-punggungi oleh pemain-pemain seperti Sutiono Lamso dan Robby Darwis mengalahkan PSM Makassar. Kompetisi sepak bola Galatama dan tim-tim Perserikatan di Indonesia kemudian dilebur menjadi Liga Indonesia (LI). Pada laga kompetisi LI pertama tahun 1994/1995, Persib kembali menorehkan catatan sebagai juara setelah dalam pertandingan final mengalahkan Petrokimia Putra Gresik dimana gol tunggal pada pertandingan tersebut dicetak oleh Sutiono.Persib juga merupakan satu-satunya klub Indonesia yang berhasil mencapai babak semi final Liga Champions Asia.

Nasional

Liga

Juara (5): 1937, 1961, 1986, 1990, 1994
Runner-up (8) : 1933, 1934, 1936, 1950, 1959, 1960, 1982/1983, 1984/1985
Juara (1): 1994/1995
Peringkat 3 (1) : 2008-09

Piala

  • Piala Persija
Juara (1): 1991
  • Piala Kang Dada
Juara (1): 2008

Internasional

Perempat Final (1): 1995

Pelatih legendaris

Pemain legendaris

Sejak bermain di kompetisi Perserikatan, Divisi Utama hingga Liga Super, Persib Bandung terus memiliki pemain yang berprestasi baik di klub maupun di Tim nasional, para pemain tersebut berhasil mengangkat nama persib di kancah persepak bolaan nasional dan juga nama Tim nasional di kancah internasional.

Nama-nama pemain legendaris Persib Bandung

Pemain

Skuad Senior

No.
Posisi Nama pemain
20 Flag of Indonesia.svg GK Cecep Supriatna
1 Flag of Indonesia.svg GK Dedi Haryanto
81 Flag of Indonesia.svg GK Markus Haris Maulana
5 Flag of Indonesia.svg DF Maman Abdurrahman (Kapten)
77 Flag of Indonesia.svg DF Chandra Yusuf Ahmad
30 Flag of Indonesia.svg DF Nova Arianto
4 Flag of Indonesia.svg DF Wildansyah
2 Flag of Indonesia.svg DF Edi Hafid Murtadho
17 Flag of Paraguay.svg DF Christian Rene Martinez
26 Flag of Indonesia.svg DF Aji Nurpijal
3 Flag of Indonesia.svg MF Irwan Wijasmara

No.
Posisi Nama pemain
12 Flag of Indonesia.svg MF Gilang Angga Kusuma
27 Flag of Indonesia.svg MF Cucu Hidayat
16 Flag of Indonesia.svg MF Munadi
24 Flag of Indonesia.svg MF Hariono
8 Flag of Indonesia.svg MF Eka Ramdani
7 Flag of Indonesia.svg MF Atep
11 Flag of Japan.svg MF Satoshi Otomo
9 Flag of Indonesia.svg FW Airlangga Sucipto
13 Flag of Indonesia.svg FW Budi Sudarsono
99 Flag of Uruguay.svg FW Christian Gonzalez
10 Flag of Brazil.svg FW Hilton Moreira

Persib Junior

Staff

Posisi Nama
Manager Umuh Muchtar
Ass Manager Dedy Firmansyah
Pelatih Utama Jaya Hartono
Asisten Pelatih Robby Darwis
Asisten Pelatih Yusuf Bachtiar
Pelatih Kiper Anwar Sanusi
Pelatih Fisik Entang Hermanu
Pelatih U-21 Indra Tohir
Manager U-18 Edi Djukardi
Pelatih U-18 Asep Sumantri
Manager U-15 Sigit Iskandar
Pelatih U-15 Sabrun Hanafi
Dokter Tim Mohamad Rafi Ghani
Psikolog Hesdi Wahyudi
Bidang Umum Amin Suganda
Bidang Umum Zulkarnaen
Masseur Emen Suwarman
Masseur Sutisna

Badan Hukum

PT. Persib Bandung Bermartabat
Posisi Nama
Direktur Utama Umuh Muchtar
Wakil Direktur Utama Muhammad Farhan
Direktur Keuangan Merdi Hazizi
Direktur Marketing dan Development Veby Permadi
Direktur Pengembangan Ari D. Sutedi
Komisaris Utama Zainuri Hasyim
Komisaris Kuswara S. Taryono
Wakil Komisaris Utama Pieter Tanuri

Penggemar

Persib Bandung memiliki penggemar fanatik yang menyebar di seantero provinsi Jawa Barat dan Banten, bahkan hampir diwilayah Indonesia. mengingat catatan historis sebagai tim kebanggaan dari ibukota provinsi Jawa Barat. Penggemar Persib menamakan diri sebagai Bobotoh. Pada era Liga Indonesia, Bobotoh kemudian mengorganisasikan diri dalam beberapa kelompok pecinta Persib seperti Viking, Bomber, Rebolan, Jurig Persib, Casper dan Persib-1337. Viking merupakan organisasi Bobotoh dengan jumlah anggota terbanyak dan tersebar di penjuru Jawa Barat dan Banten. Adapun Bomber sekarang sudah bergabung dan menjadi salah satu distik Viking dengan nama Viking The Bomberman.

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Curiculum Vitae Fernando Torres

Fernando Torres

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Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres.jpg
Personal information
Full name Fernando José Torres Sanz[1]
Date of birth 20 March 1984 (1984-03-20) (age 25)[2]
Place of birth Fuenlabrada, Spain
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[3]
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club Liverpool
Number 9
Youth career
1995–2001 Atlético Madrid
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2007 Atlético Madrid 214 (82)
2007– Liverpool 76 (53)
National team
2000 Spain U15 1 (0)
2001 Spain U16 9 (11)
2001 Spain U17 4 (1)
2001 Spain U18 1 (1)
2002 Spain U19 5 (6)
2002–2003 Spain U21 10 (3)
2003– Spain 71 (23)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 01:43, 16 March 2010 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 01:43, 16 March 2010 (UTC)
Fernando José Torres Sanz (born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Premier League club Liverpool and the Spanish national team as a striker.
Torres started his career with Atlético Madrid, progressing through their youth ranks. He made his professional debut in 2001 and finished his career with the club having scored 75 goals in 174 La Liga appearances, earning the nickname El Niño ("The Kid"). Prior to his La Liga debut, Torres played two seasons in the Segunda División, making 40 appearances and scoring seven goals. He joined Liverpool in 2007, after signing for a club record transfer fee. He marked his first season at Anfield by being Liverpool's first player, since Robbie Fowler in 1995–96, to score more than 20 league goals in a season. Torres become the fastest player in Liverpool history to score 50 league goals after scoring against Aston Villa in December 2009.
He is also a Spanish international and made his debut for the country against Portugal in 2003. He has since participated in three major tournaments, UEFA Euro 2004, 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008. He did not score a goal at Euro 2004, but he scored three at World Cup 2006. Torres scored the winning goal for Spain in their 1–0 win over Germany in the UEFA Euro 2008 Final.

Contents

[hide]

Early career

Born in Fuenlabrada, Community of Madrid,[4] Torres became interested in football as a child and joined his first team, Parque 84, at the age of five.[2] His father José worked during Torres' childhood, and his mother Flori traveled daily with him to training sessions.[5] His grandfather was not a passionate football fan, but took pride in being an Atlético Madrid supporter, and Torres inherited the love for the club.[2]
Torres started playing football as a goalkeeper, the position his brother played in.[6] When he was seven years old, however, he started playing regularly as a striker in an indoor league for the neighborhood club, Mario’s Holland,[2] using the characters from the anime Captain Tsubasa as inspiration.[7] Three years later, aged 10, he progressed to an 11-side team, Rayo 13.[8] He scored 55 goals in a season and was one of three Rayo 13 players to earn a trial with Atlético Madrid.[8] He impressed the scouts and joined the club in 1995.[8]

Club career

Atlético Madrid

After progressing through the ranks, Torres won his first important youth title in 1998. Atlético Madrid sent an under-15 team to compete in the Nike Cup, in Spain and Europe, to play against youth teams from other clubs. Atlético won the tournament.[8][9] He was later voted the best player in Europe for the age group.[9] In 1999, Torres signed his first professional contract with Atlético Madrid.[8] He spent his first year playing in the youth team and moved onto the participating in the Honor Division when he was 16.[10] The 2000–01 season had started badly, as Torres suffered from a cracked shinbone which kept him out until December.[10] Torres trained with the first team to get prepared for pre-season, but eventually made his debut for the team on 27 May 2001, at Vicente Calderón, against CD Leganés.[10] A week later, he scored his first goal for the club against Albacete Balompié and the season finished with Atlético narrowly missing out on promotion to La Liga.[10]
Torres arguing with the referee during a match with Atlético.
Atlético was promoted to La Liga at the end of the 2001–02 season. Torres did not perform well in the season, as he netted only six times in 36 appearances in the Segunda Division.[1] Torres' first season in 2002–03 was better, however, as he scored 12 goals in 29 appearances, with Atlético finishing in the 11th place.[1][10] In the 2003–04 season, his second in La Liga, Torres made further strides, scoring 19 league goals in 35 appearances,[1] meaning he finished as joint third highest scorer in the league.[11] He formed a strong strike partnership with Greek striker Demis Nikolaidis. The two complemented each other, creating space and opportunities for each other as the pair scored 26 goals between them. At the age of 19, Torres was named Atlético's captain.[9] Atlético narrowly missed out on qualification for the UEFA Cup, but by finishing in 7th place in 2004, they qualified for the UEFA Intertoto Cup, giving Torres a first taste of a competition at the European level. He scored two goals in the two round four matches against OFK Beograd, with one coming in each leg.[12] Atlético reached the final, but lost on penalties to Villarreal CF.[12] The Premier League champions Chelsea were believed to be interested in signing Torres in 2005, but Atlético president Enrique Cerezo said that they had "no chance" of signing him.[13] Cerezo later said in January 2006 that the club were willing to listen to offers for Torres, and Torres claimed Newcastle United had made a bid to sign him in March.[14][15]
Torres played for the Spanish national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He stated after the World Cup that he had turned down an offer to join Chelsea at the end of the 2005–06 season.[16] Torres scored 14 league goals in the 2006–07 season,[1] but his future at Atlético was once again the subject of speculation as the club failed to secure an automatic UEFA Cup spot. The English media reported that he was the main transfer target of Liverpool,[17], but Cerezo stated, "We've received no offer from Liverpool or any other club or player".[18] However, a few days later, new reports suggested Atlético had agreed a deal with Liverpool for Torres. The fee was rumored to be £25 million with Luis García moving to Atletico in a separate transfer deal. On 30 June, Atlético announced a deal to sign Diego Forlán from Villarreal, in what was seen as a move to replace Torres before his departure became official.[19] On 2 July, it was reported that Torres had cut short a vacation to fly back to Madrid to finalize the move to Liverpool.[20] The following day, Torres passed a medical for Liverpool. He held a press conference in Madrid on 4 July to bid farewell to the Atlético fans, before completing his move to Liverpool on a six-year contract.[21] The transfer fee was the highest in Liverpool's history.[19] In March 2008, manager Rafael Benítez stated in an interview with The Times that Torres was acquired for around £20 million, although this figure takes into account García's move to Atlético.[22]

Liverpool

2007–08 season

Torres playing for Liverpool against Middlesbrough on 23 February 2008, during which he scored a hat-trick.
Torres made his competitive debut for Liverpool against Aston Villa in a 2–1 win on 11 August 2007.[23] He made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League four days later in a 1–0 victory over Toulouse, after coming on as a 79th minute substitute.[24] His first Premier League goal came on his Anfield debut on 19 August, in the 16th minute in a 1–1 draw against Chelsea.[25] His first hat-trick came in a 4–2 victory over Reading in the League Cup in September, with all of his goals coming in the second half.[26] His first goals in the Champions League came on his third appearance in the competition as Liverpool beat Porto 4–1, as he scored twice.[27]
He was named Premier League Player of the Month for February,[28] during which he scored four goals in two league appearances, including a hat-trick against Middlesbrough on 23 February 2008.[29] This hat-trick and another in a 4–0 victory over West Ham United on 5 March 2008 meant he became the first Liverpool player since Jack Balmer in November 1946 to score a hat-trick in successive home matches.[30] Later in March, after he scored a 47th minute header against Reading at Anfield, becoming the first Liverpool player since Robbie Fowler in the 1995–96 season campaign to score 20 league goals in a season.[31] In April, he scored another Champions League goal, this time against Arsenal in the quarter-final second leg, as Liverpool advanced to the semi-final.[32] This goal took him onto 29 goals for the 2007–08 season in all competitions, eclipsing Liverpool favourite Michael Owen's personal record for goals in a season.[29][33] On 11 April 2008, it was announced Torres had made a six man shortlist for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award,[34] which was eventually won by Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United.[35] The Spanish international was also nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year Award, which was won by Cesc Fàbregas of Arsenal and was named in the PFA Team of the Year.[35] In May, he finished second to Ronaldo for the FWA Footballer of the Year award.[36]
On 4 May 2008, Torres scored a 57th minute winner against Manchester City, which equalled the consecutive Anfield league goal record of eight games set by Roger Hunt.[37] After scoring his 24th league goal in the final game of the season, a 2–0 win against Tottenham Hotspur, he set a new record for the most prolific foreign goal scorer ever in a debut season in England, eclipsing Ruud van Nistelrooy's 23 goals.[29][38] He ended the season in joint second place with Emmanuel Adebayor in the race for the Premier League golden boot.[39] Torres was subject to media speculation that Chelsea were willing pay £50 million to sign him but Torres responded by saying it would be "many years" before he left Liverpool.[40][41] Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks also negated the idea of a transfer, saying he would not allow Torres to leave the club at any price.[42]

2008–09 season

Torres celebrating after scoring for Liverpool
Photo: Philip Gabrielsen
Torres made a promising start to the Premier League 2008–09 season, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 away win against Sunderland.[43] He suffered what was later confirmed as a hamstring tear in a 0–0 draw against Aston Villa, which would keep him out for two to three weeks.[44] Torres made his return in a 2–1 victory against Marseille in the Champions League and went on to score a brace in the Merseyside derby against Everton on 27 September to give Liverpool a 2–0 win.[45][46] He followed this up with another two goals the following weekend against Manchester City in a 3–2 win away at the City of Manchester Stadium as Liverpool came back from a two goal deficit.[47] The first of these was Liverpool's thousandth Premier League goal.[48] Torres picked up a hamstring injury during a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier, meaning he was likely to miss three games for Liverpool.[49] On 22 October, Liverpool played Torres' former club Atlético Madrid in the Champions League at the Vicente Calderón, but his injury meant he missed out on the game.[50] The Atlético president, Enrique Cerezo, had given him a VIP invitation to watch the game, but he declined this to recover his rehabilitation from injury in Merseyside.[51] He was named in the FIFPro World XI team for the 2007–08 season on 27 October.[52]
Torres made his return for Liverpool after coming on as a 72nd minute substitute in a 3–0 victory against West Bromwich Albion.[53] He said he would be interested in returning to former club Atlético eventually, saying "I don't know if I will retire there, but I would like to go back and finish some things that are left to do."[54] He was ruled out of action for two to three weeks following Liverpool's 1–0 victory over Marseille in the Champions League in November, where he picked up a hamstring strain,[55] which was later extended to at least four weeks by specialists.[56] He was named on the shortlist for the FIFA World Player of the Year award in December,[57] and eventually came in third place behind Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.[58] Torres returned to action on 3 January 2009 as a substitute with a goal in the 2–0 win over Preston North End; his first in the FA Cup.[59] He scored two late goals for Liverpool to secure a 2–0 victory over Chelsea on 1 February.[60] Despite having spent a year and a half at the club, Torres was chosen as number 50 in The Times's list of "The 50 greatest Liverpool players", reinforcing the impact he had made at Liverpool in such a short period of time.[61]
Torres during Liverpool's 3–2 victory against Manchester City on 5 October 2008, in which he scored a brace.
Torres faced his old rivals Real Madrid on 10 March in the Champions League last 16 and due to an ankle injury, he had a painkilling injecting before the game to enable him to play.[62] He scored the first goal of the game, which ended as a 4–0 victory, meaning Liverpool progressed to the quarter-finals 5–0 on aggregate.[63] Four days later he lined up against Manchester United at Old Trafford and he scored the equaliser in a game that finished as a 4–1 victory.[64] He was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the second season running in April 2009.[65] Torres scored his 50th goal for Liverpool on 24 May against Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the 2008–09 season, which was his 84th appearance.[66]

2009–10 season

Following the end of the season, he agreed a new contract with Liverpool,[67] which he signed on 14 August.[68] By signing this contract, Liverpool increased his wage to £110,000 a week and included the option of a one-year extension after its expiry in 2013.[69] Torres scored two goals in a 3–2 win over West Ham United on 19 September 2009, taking Liverpool to third in the Premier League.[70] A week later he scored his first hat-trick of the 2009–10 Premier League season in a 6–1 victory over Hull City at Anfield.[71] He was named Premier League Player of the Month for September, after scoring five goals during the month and becoming the Premier League's top goalscorer.[72] On 25 October, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 victory for Liverpool over Manchester United,[73] after which Benítez praised Torres' performance, saying "We were waiting for that final pass. When it came we knew he would score."[74] Torres was named in the FIFPro World XI for the second successive season in December.[75] His stoppage-time winning goal against Aston Villa on 29 December 2009 means that he becomes the fastest Liverpool player ever to score 50 league goals.[76]

International career

Torres celebrating victory with Spain at Euro 2008
In February 2001, Torres won the Algarve Tournament with the Spain under-16 team.[77] The under-16s took part in the 2001 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship in May, which they also won, with Torres scoring the only goal in the final, as well as finishing as the tournament's leading scorer, and was also named the player of the tournament.[1][9] In November 2001, Torres represented Spain at the 2001 FIFA Under-17 World Championship, but the team failed to progress through the group stage.[1] In July 2002, he won the 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. He finished as a top scorer, was named player of the tournament, and was again the only goalscorer in the final.[1][9]
"We complement each other very well. We get on well on the pitch and very well off it too. We're a good partnership. We both chase down defenders, put pressure on and fight to create chances for each other. We work well together."
David Villa speaking about Torres.[78]
Torres made his senior debut for the senior Spanish national team on 6 September 2003 in a friendly against Portugal.[1] His first goal for Spain came against Italy on 28 April 2004.[1] He was selected for the Spanish squad for UEFA Euro 2004.[1] After appearing as a late substitute in Spain's first two group games, he started for the deciding game against Portugal. Spain were losing 1–0, and towards the end of the second half, hit the post.[1]
He scored seven goals in 11 appearances in qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup,[79] making him Spain's top scorer for qualification, including a vital brace against Belgium and his first international hat-trick against San Marino.[1] At his first ever appearance in a World Cup finals at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Torres scored the final goal in a 4–0 victory over Ukraine with a volley.[80] In the second group match, Torres scored twice against Tunisia, first in the 76th minute to take Spain 2–1 into the lead, and then again from a penalty kick in the 90th.[81] With three goals, he finished the tournament as Spain's top scorer along with fellow striker David Villa.[82]
He was called up for Spain's UEFA Euro 2008 squad,[83] where he set up Villa to score Spain's first goal of the tournament in the first game in the group stage against Russia.[84] Torres came under criticism for apparently refusing to shake the hand of Spanish manager, Luis Aragonés, after being substituted.[85] He subsequently denied being angry with the coaching, saying that he was actually "angry with himself".[85] He scored his first goal of the tournament in Spain's next game, a 2–1 win over Sweden.[86] Torres scored the winner and was named the man of the match in the final against Germany in a 1–0 victory.[87][88] He said, "It's just a dream come true. This is my first title and I hope it's the first of many. Victory in a Euro, it is almost as big as a World Cup. We are used to watching finals on television, but today we were here and we won. My job is to score goals. I want to win more titles and be the most important player in Europe and the world."[89] He was later named as a striker along with his striking partner Villa in the Team of the Tournament.[90]
Torres made his 60th appearance for Spain in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification victory over Turkey on 28 March 2009, becoming the youngest player to reach this milestone. In a season plagued by injuries, he missed out on a number of qualification matches, but scored against Chile after coming on in the second half for Villa.[91] He was named in Spain's team for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in June.[92] He scored his second hat-trick for Spain after 17 minutes into a Confederations Cup game against New Zealand on 14 June,[93] thus recording the fastest hat-trick by a player for Spain.[94] He played for Spain as they were defeated 2–0 by the United States in the semi-final,[95] as well as the third-place play-off, which Spain won 3–2 against South Africa after extra time.[96]

Personal life

Torres married Olalla Domínguez Liste on 27 May 2009 in El Escorial, Community of Madrid,[97] with whom he has been in a relationship with since 2001.[98] It was revealed in February 2009 that the couple was expecting a baby,[99] which they later confirmed to be a girl.[100] Olalla gave birth to a daughter, Nora Torres Domínguez, on 8 July 2009 at the Hospital La Rosaleda Compostelan, in Santiago de Compostela.[101]
In 2009, it was reported that Torres has a personal fortune of £14 million.[102] He features in the video for "Ya Nada Volverá A Ser Como Antes" by Spanish rock group El Canto del Loco, whose singer, Dani Martín, shares a strong friendship with the footballer.[103] He makes a cameo appearance in the 2005 comedy film Torrente 3: El protector.[104] In 2009, he released an autobiography entitled El Nino: My Story.[105]

Career statistics

Club

As of 11 March 2010.
Club Season League[A] FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Atlético Madrid 2000–01[106][107] 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 6 1
2001–02[108][109] 36 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 37 7
2002–03[110][111] 29 13 2 1 0 0 3 0 31 14
2003–04[112][113] 35 19 5 2 0 0 3 0 40 21
2004–05[114][115][116] 38 16 6 2 0 0 5 2 49 20
2005–06[117][118] 36 13 4 0 0 0 0 0 40 13
2006–07[119][120] 36 14 4 1 0 0 0 0 40 15
Total 214 82 24 7 0 0 11 2 249 91
Liverpool 2007–08[121] 33 24 1 0 1 3 11 6 46 33
2008–09[122] 24 14 3 1 2 0 9 2 38 17
2009–10[123] 19 15 2 0 0 0 5 0 26 15
Total 76 53 6 1 3 3 25 8 110 65
Career totals 290 135 30 8 3 3 36 10 359 156

International appearances

As of 10 October 2009.
National team Season Friendly Competitive Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Spain 2003–04[124] 5 1 5 0 10 1
2004–05[125] 4 1 6 1 10 2
2005–06[125] 6 1 9 9 15 10
2006–07[126] 2 0 6 1 8 1
2007–08[126] 5 0 7 3 12 3
2008–09[127] 2 2 10 3 12 5
2009–10[127] 1 1 3 0 4 1
Career total 25 6 46 17 71 23