Fernando José Torres Sanz is a Spanish football coach and former player who played as a striker. He is the current coach of Atlético de Madrid Juvenil A. Due to his constant scoring pace as a young player, Torres came to be nicknamed El Niño ('The Child'), which accompanied him throughout his career. In his prime, he was praised for his pace, finishing accuracy and heading ability, and was twice named in the FIFA World XI.

Early career

Born in Fuenlabrada, Community of Madrid, Torres became interested in football as a child and joined his first team, Parque 84, at age five. His grandfather was not a passionate football fan, but took pride in being an Atlético Madrid supporter, and Torres inherited his love for the club.

Style of play

Torres was described as having "an eye for the spectacular" and being "capable of world-class skill", as well as being regarded as a "technically proficient, highly successful striker". He had the ability to find himself in goalscoring positions, using his pace and vision to get in behind defenders. A hard-working striker, he was also known for his willingness to chase down and put pressure on opposing defenders, and was capable of playing off his teammates and creating chances for other strikers, in addition to scoring goals himself; this also saw him being deployed in a deeper role as a second striker on occasion.

Personal life

Torres' parents are José Torres and Flori Sanz. He has two older siblings: Israel (born 1977) and María Paz (born 1976). He married Olalla Domínguez Liste on 27 May 2009 in a private ceremony with just two witnesses at the local town hall in El Escorial, Madrid. The couple have two children, a daughter, Nora, born on 8 July 2009 at the Hospital La Rosaleda, in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, and a son, Leo, born on 6 December 2010 at Liverpool Women's Hospital, with Torres missing the fixture against Aston Villa at Anfield.