Torres: Liverpool made me look like a ‘traitor’

Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres left Liverpool for Chelsea in 2011, sparking outrage among fans.

Fernando Torres has hit out at Liverpool for portraying him as a traitor following his move to Premier League rivals Chelsea in 2011.

Anfield favourite and Atletico Madrid striker Torres swapped Liverpool for Chelsea in a big-money deal, believed to be worth £50million, more than five years ago.

The Spaniard was the subject of criticism by Liverpool fans following his record-breaking move to Stamford Bridge but the 32-year-old has lifted the lid on his transfer to Chelsea, where he won the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup.

“[Director of football Damien] Comolli told me that the new owners [Fenway Sports Group], they had an idea of how to spend their investment,” Torres is quoted as saying from an extract in new book ‘Ring of Fire: Liverpool FC into the 21st Century – the players’ stories’.

“They wanted to bring in young players, to build something new. I was thinking to myself, this takes time to work. It takes two, three, four, maybe even 10 years.

“I didn’t have that time. I was 27 years old. I did not have time to wait. I wanted to win. Here we are five years later and they are still trying to build – around the same position in the league as when I left.

Torres, who spent four years on Merseyside, said: “It was presented as if I was a traitor. It was not like this in the discussion[s].

“Liverpool could not admit they were doing something wrong with the whole team. They had to find a guilty one.”

Back at boyhood club Atletico Madrid after arriving permanently on a one-year deal from AC Milan in the close-season, Torres and Co. kick-off their LaLiga campaign at home to Deportivo Alaves on Sunday.