Fernando Torres received a hero’s welcome as 45,000 people turned out to mark his return to Atletico Madrid after a seven-and-a-half year hiatus. The success of strikers signed by Atleti in the last 10 years is truly something to marvel at, but is the romantic return of Torres doomed for footballing failure?

The new arrival was certainly pleased with the reception he received, as announced on Twitter:

 

The term “hero” is often used undeservedly in modern football but in the case of Torres’ relationship with Atletico, the word is fully justified. The Spaniard came through the ranks at the club and by 19 years old was captain of the side.

Torres is to Los Rojiblancos what Raul is to Real Madrid’s supporters, and what Francesco Totti is to the Roma Faithful.

The World Cup winner’s seven years spent at the Vicente Calderon Stadium only yielded one Segunda Division trophy—but the man dubbed El Nino (meaning “The Kid”) by the adoring fans became an icon, a talisman and a footballing deity in his time spent in the capital.

Then in 2007, Fernando Torres was gone.

The forward’s transfer to Liverpool was softened somewhat by the fact that Sergio Aguero had been signed a year previously. The Argentine poacher became the new idol in the red and white half of Madrid, and formed a formidable partnership with Diego Forlan.

Atletico’s ability to acquire the most suitable strikers to slot into the team was reinforced in 2011 when Radamel Falcao joined from FC Porto to replace Inter Milan-bound Forlan.

The Colombian was a revelation, netting 70 times in 91 appearances in all competitions over two seasons with the club. A front-page headline from Spanish newspaper Marca (h/t The Guardian) summed up Falcao’s performances for Atletico: “Falcao has no barriers.”

Atleti’s skill in allowing star signings to settle and start scoring so swiftly was again demonstrated with the signing of David Villa at the beginning of season 2013-2014. Some considered the former Barcelona player as a risky acquisition, a star on the wane.

Villa finished the season as the club’s second top scorer with 15 goals in all competitions. He also collected a La Liga medal as confirmation that he still had something to offer a club playing at the top level.

This season saw the arrival of Croatian hitman Mario Mandzukic from Bayern Munich. With Diego Costa gone, Mandzukic has taken the mantel of star striker. With 14 goals across all competitions so far this term, it seems that Los Colchoneros have made the correct choice once again.

Can the loan signing of Torres from AC Milan be compared to the signing of David Villa? Does the Atletico hierarchy believe they can rejuvenate the 30-year-old? Maybe time has stood still at the Vicente Calderon and the locals have turned a blind eye to their legend’s form since he left Liverpool.

Torres’ experience in the last five years is as extreme in its transformation as the fortunes of his boyhood club.

Atletico have forced themselves back onto the top table of European clubs, capturing La Liga (2014), the Europa League (2012) and a Copa del Rey (2013).

Torres captured an excellent haul of medals in his time at Chelsea, including a Champions League (2012), a Europa League (2013) and an FA Cup (2012). Whilst the striker showed flashes of his old brilliance, such as in the 2012 Europa League final, his personal form in general was average at best.

His performances were truly abysmal at worst.

In four seasons at Chelsea, the Spaniard scored 20 league goals in 110 Premier League appearances, not the stats of a footballer who was signed for £50 million.

Any hopes that the former Liverpool forward’s form would reignite on loan at AC Milan were dashed, as highlighted by Whoscored.com’s Twitter post:

Torres’ form is as confusing as the transfer deal which now brings him back to the club. El Nino was only a few months into a two-year loan deal from Chelsea, yet on January 5 Milan made the move permanent, only to loan the Spaniard straight to Atletico.

Football blogger David Amoyal summed up the situation in his Tweet:

Richard Williams of the Press Association (h/t The Guardian) also captured the situation succinctly:

It says everything about the state of Torres’s career that Milan, desperate for a star to fill the shirt once worn by Marco van Basten, George Weah and Andriy Shevchenko, could find use for him only as a bargaining chip.

It is wonderful for Los Rojiblancos faithful to welcome their poster boy home. For a club whose recent success has been built partly on its shrewd transfer dealings, however, this decision of heart ruling over head may come back to haunt Diego Simeone.

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