Torres by Luca Caioli

2000, in Badajoz (south-west Spain),when he wore the shirt of the Spanish Under-15 side. It was a friendly against Belgium, which they win 4-1, including Torres’ first goal in the red of Spain. A knee injury had stopped him playing in the preliminary rounds of the tournament but on 24 February 2001, he took to the field with the Under-16s in the Algarve Tournament. The opponents were England, Finland and Portugal. Spain notched up two wins and a draw against the hosts with a four-goal booty for the lad from Atlético Madrid’s junior team – the best score of the tournament. Not bad for someone coming back from an important injury, which had put into doubt his future career. It was the test that Under-16 coach, Juan Santisteban, and Iñaki Sáez, the coordinator of all the junior sides, had needed. Soon afterwards came the naming of the national side for the European championship, which would take place in England from April to May.
    Durham is the team’s base, where the youngsters lead a cloistered existence: training followed by a siesta from 3.30 to 6pm, homework with private teachers (because when many of them get back to Spain, they will have to take school exams) followed by more study and videos, this time of their next tournament opponents – a strict regime. Spain is placed in Group A, which journalists and commentators name the ‘group of death’, with Romania, Belgium and Germany the teams they have to beat to get to the quarter-finals. The aim is to repeat the performance that saw them win the title in 1999. The first match is on 24 April against Romania and the result is 3-0 to Spain with Torres, wearing Number 14, scoring his first goal on English soil. Who knows, maybe a premonition of what would happen six years and a few months later …
    After this game, the side is top of the group on goal difference. They play their next match against Belgium who, surprisingly, have beaten the Germans 2-1. It finishes asfew were expecting, with a 5-0 scoreline in favour of Spain, including a double from El Niño, although no one yet calls him that. The last group game against Germany is to be played at Durham. For the boys in red, a victory or draw would see them through, although even a defeat would be enough because they have a three-point lead over their German rivals. The result is a bad 0-2 defeat but it’s enough for them to progress. However, Santisteban’s youngsters lose playmaker Andrés Iniesta through injury.
    The quarter-finals are against the Italian side of Paolo Berrettini. It’s a difficult encounter against an experienced team with good players like Giampaolo Pazzini (today a leading goal-scorer with Sampdoria), Alberto Aquilani (now in the Roma midfield) and Giorgio Chiellini (a defender with Juventus). In the 26th minute, a Torres penalty gives Spain the lead, but on 54 minutes Mauro Bellotti heads in an Italy free-kick. The scoreline is still the same at full-time and qualification for the semis will be decided from the penalty-spot. Juan Santisteban can’t bear to watch this Russian roulette and takes refuge in the dugout. But the Spaniards are unforgiving. Fernando Torres, Senel, Carlos and Melli all score, while the Italians slip up. Their first hits the post and the fourth is saved by Miguel Ángel Moya. This time luck goes their way, unlike on the previous five occasions. Santisteban is finally able to open his eyes and runs to embrace his team. It’s a story that will be repeated in another European tournament, the big one, that of 2008. A coincidence, of course …
    The last hurdle before the final is Croatia, a match that takes place in Middlesborough on 3 May. Torres opens and closes the scoring (with a goal from Senel in-between) and even allows himself the luxury of a chip from the edge of the area, in very little space, which crashes against the angle of crossbar and post. ‘We had a great second half, reallyimpressive. We got ourselves to 3-0 and after that we just kept on