Fernando Torres showed Liverpool fans how much he loved the Reds after Spain’s World Cup win in 2010
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Spain will play in their second World Cup final on Sunday, and will do so once again with a Liverpool player in their squad.La Roja’s first final – which they won 1-0 against the Netherlands in 2010 – saw two Reds lift the trophy, as Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina became world champions.Victor Munoz will get the chance to emulate Torres and Reina against Argentina in New Jersey, and if he and his teammates win, the new Liverpool signing could win some fans on Merseyside by copying Torres, who draped himself in a Reds scarf while celebrating 16 years ago. Make ONE prediction about the rest of Dominik Szoboszlai’s Liverpool career He's here for the next FIVE years 😍 Credit: Getty Images/Nikki Dyer/Liverpool FC Torres celebrated World Cup win with a Liverpool scarfRewind to the summer of 2010 and Torres had just come off a slightly tricky, injury-hit season with Liverpool in which he only managed 22 Premier League appearances.18 goals in those appearances was still a brilliant return from the Spaniard, though, and he deservedly earned his place in Spain’s squad, coming off the bench during extra time in the final.Back home in Liverpool, though, things were not quite right, and after the Reds sold Javier Mascherano late into the summer window, Torres became disillusioned, ultimately leaving Anfield in a hugely controversial move to Chelsea the following January.Heading into the World Cup, Torres’ agent had insisted that his client was happy on Merseyside, confirming that he would remain at the club into the 2010/11 seasonPhoto by Alex Livesey – FIFA/FIFA via Getty ImagesREAD MORE: Why Liverpool fans should finally forgive Fernando Torres 19 years on from his signing“For the moment I can assure fans that Fernando will continue at Liverpool next season,” Jose Antonio Petun said in May 2010.
“Liverpool have not spoken to us about his future, so he is just concentrating on playing at the World Cup.”Torres did not sound so sure, stating: “I didn’t read anything [about his agent’s comments]. But my future now and hopefully for the next two months is Spain and the World Cup.”Despite the uncertainty over whether he would stay at Liverpool, however, by July, Torres was still very much a Red.
Who are your favourite Liverpool players from Spain and Argentina as they meet in the World Cup final? Though he kept his agent’s promise of going into the new season at Liverpool, he did not end it with them.Nevertheless, that Torres thought of Liverpool in what was the best moment of his career, underlined the love he has for the club and its fans.His gripe always felt to be with the ownership of the Reds – which was a mess at the time – who he felt had broken promises made to him, and also shown a complete lack of ambition in squad planning.Since his exit, Torres has been at pains to stress how much Liverpool means to him, that he regrets the way his departure played out, and that he will always be a fan of the Reds.Though he was six months away from leaving, he proved that in the clearest terms on a glorious night in South Africa.