On 27 May 2009 Torres married Olalla Domínguez Liste, with whom he had been in a relationship with since 2001,[99] in El Escorial, Madrid.[100] It was revealed in February 2009 that the couple were expecting a baby,[101] which they later confirmed to be a girl.[102] Olalla gave birth to a daughter, Nora, on 8 July 2009 at the Hospital La Rosaleda Compostelan, in Santiago de Compostela.[103]
In 2009, it was reported that Torres has a personal fortune of ￡14 million.[104] 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.[105] He makes a cameo appearance in the 2005 comedy film Torrente 3: El protector.[106] In 2009, he released an autobiography entitled El Nino: My Story.[107]
International career
Torres celebrating victory with Spain at UEFA Euro 2008
In February 2001, Torres won the Algarve Tournament with the Spain under-16 team.[79] 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.[80]
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.[1] 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,[81] 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 FIFA 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.[82] 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.[83] With three goals, he finished the tournament as Spain's top scorer along with fellow striker David Villa.[84]
He was called up for Spain's UEFA Euro 2008 squad,[85] where he set up Villa to score Spain's first goal of the tournament in the first game in the group stage against Russia.[86] Torres came under criticism for apparently refusing to shake the hand of Spanish manager, Luis Aragonés, after being substituted.[87] He subsequently denied being angry with the coaching, saying that he was actually "irritated with himself".[87] He scored his first goal of the tournament in Spain's next game, a 2–1 win over Sweden.[88] Torres scored the winner and was named the man of the match in the Final against Germany in a 1–0 victory.[89][90] 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."[91] He was later named as a striker along with his striking partner Villa in the Team of the Tournament.[92]
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.[93] He was named in Spain's team for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in June.[94] He scored his second hat-trick for Spain after 17 minutes into a Confederations Cup game against New Zealand on 14 June,[95] thus recording the fastest hat-trick by a player for Spain.[96] He played for Spain as they were defeated 2–0 by the United States in the semi-final,[97] as well as the third-place play-off, which Spain won 3–2 against South Africa after extra time.[98]
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]作者: pighead 时间: 2010-6-29 20:47:46
