Torres reveals the secret ahead of the derby, and surprises everyone with his opinion on Mourinho
Atlético are no longer what they once were
Some dreams don't die when a footballer retires. They simply change shape, and a new chase begins. Take Fernando Torres, the former Atletico Madrid and Spain star, who has swapped the pursuit of glory on the pitch for a shot at making his name in the dugout.
For Torres, dreams turn real when a person commits to them and chases what they want with determination and passion. That principle now governs his new phase. The dream this time isn't about scoring goals or lifting trophies. It's about building a distinctive coaching identity and reaching the highest levels of management, drawing on the experience of the many coaches he worked with across his career.
At Atletico Madrid, "El Nino" has already laid the first bricks of his coaching project, shaping his own philosophy while keeping the best of what every coach who marked his career taught him. Yet even with coaching filling his days, simpler dreams still stir him, and none more than the Madrid derby.
Torres returns to the derby, but through the eyes of a fan
Sunday will find Fernando Torres in the stands of the Metropolitano to follow the Madrid derby, as he does whenever circumstances allow. This time he'll try to set the coach aside and become an Atletico Madrid supporter again.
Torres says of these moments: "When I go to the Metropolitano stadium, I try to wear my Atletico Madrid supporter's scarf and enjoy watching the team. I try not to analyse things too much, but just go to watch my team, to cheer them on, to be with my crowd, and to feel the excitement. I try to forget the coach a little. It is unavoidable, but I try."
That's a tough ask for a man who spent long years in the game, and for whom picking apart the details has become part of daily life. But on derby day he tries to leave all that behind and live the match as a fan first.
Many years ago, he was a young boy wandering the corridors of Atletico Madrid, dreaming of reaching the top of the game. Today, the world champion is retracing his steps inside the same club from a completely different position.
The closest thing tying Torres to his past is the shin guard he wore in his first Atletico Madrid match against Leganes at the Vicente Calderon. He still keeps it and carries it under his arm, a keepsake linking the old dream to the new ambition.
No longer chasing glory as a player, Torres is now working to make his name as a coach, to establish his own style and identity, drawing on the long legacy he built both on and off the pitch.
On the style he wants his teams to show, Torres explained that he wants sides reflecting the football he loves to watch, favouring a bold, dynamic and direct approach.
He said: "I want my teams to resemble what I like to watch on television. I like bold, dynamic, direct teams that attack from one end of the pitch to the other, that adopt a modern and changing style of play, that are capable of both attacking and defending, and that produce continuous action throughout the match."
He added to the Spanish newspaper "Marca": "I think this is an excellent way to connect with the other fundamental pillar of football, namely the fans. When supporters watch a match and rise from their seats again and again, and the action keeps accelerating, they are strongly drawn to it, especially with Atletico Madrid."
Those words sketch the identity Torres wants to build. Attacking, dynamic football rooted in boldness and quick transitions, inseparable from the bond with the fans and the excitement matches create.
Mourinho, Simeone and Klopp: who left their mark on Torres?
Torres didn't start his coaching journey from scratch. He carries in his memory experiences with a host of coaches from different schools, having played under prominent names in Spain, England and Europe.
Asked about the book or coaching manual on his bedside table, Torres reeled off a long list of coaches he learned from throughout his career.
He said: "I am fortunate to have worked with some wonderful coaches, even before I thought about becoming a coach. I would have learned and noted down a lot, but I was with Luis, who had a big influence on me, then with Vicente in the national team, and all the coaches I worked with at Atletico Madrid."
He continued: "Then I went to England with Rafa Benitez, a coach who had a big influence on me, and Ancelotti, then Mourinho, and Simeone... I worked with some wonderful coaches, but I never thought about becoming a coach myself at the time."
He explained: "I think I picked up a little from each of them, and learned from all of them, but once I focused on my desire to become a coach, I saw that Jurgen Klopp was the one who left a real mark on me."
Torres, then, sees his playing career as more than a store of memories. It was a full coaching school, one where he gathered ideas and experiences from different managers before reshaping them to suit his own personality.
Atletico through the eyes of the fan and the coach
Being at the Metropolitano places Torres before a different equation. On one hand he's a fan devoted to Atletico. On the other he's a young coach who can't stop his mind from analysing what unfolds on the pitch. But Torres tries as hard as he can to keep the two roles apart.
He says: "When I go to the Metropolitano stadium, I try to wear my Atletico Madrid supporter's scarf and enjoy watching the team. I try not to analyse things too much, but just go to watch my team, to cheer them on, to be with my crowd, and to feel the excitement. I try to forget the coach a little. It is unavoidable, but I try."
Turning to the Madrid derby, Torres was asked whether Atletico Madrid deserved to go into the match as favourites, especially given how much the team struggled in derbies during his playing days compared to now.
Torres refused to play the ranking game, insisting the most important thing for Atletico is the psychological state the team is enjoying right now.
He said: "I have never liked to rank things. Who is the team favoured to win? I think what Atletico Madrid has today is the excitement for the match and the confidence in their ability to win. It is a big change compared to before."
Rather than talk theoretical superiority, Torres homed in on the excitement and confidence around Atletico ahead of facing their neighbours Real Madrid.
This Atletico Madrid, Torres believes, is a different animal to last season's team, especially given the heavy changes to the squad.
He said: "I know there have been many signings, some important departures, and that they are going through a clear period of growth. It is difficult to predict the starting line-up today, for example. They are in high spirits, and it is a great team."
His words suggest a team still in the middle of building and forging a new identity, given all the changes to the squad. A final verdict on its level, then, needs more time.
Mourinho at Real Madrid: a different kind of leadership
When talk turned to Real Madrid under Jose Mourinho, Torres spoke of the Portuguese from the perspective of a man who knows him, singling out his leadership inside the dressing room as his standout quality.
He said: "I am not in direct contact with this team. I knew Mourinho as an outstanding leader in the dressing room. This leadership ability is what most distinguishes him."
He added: "And now, I am not part of the team, so it does not show clearly. We see a more mature coach. I am sure he is good at managing groups, and I think this is extremely important for the dressing room."
So in sizing up Mourinho, Torres zeroed in on leadership and group management, a trait he says he witnessed first hand during his time under the Portuguese.
Asked for his view on the current Real Madrid, Torres admitted he hadn't watched many of their matches this season. Still, what he'd seen confirmed the club has a group of outstanding players.
He said: "I have not watched many of their matches. In truth, I have not watched many football matches this year, but I have watched a lot of Barcelona's matches because it is a great match to watch."
He added: "Of course, I watched all of Atletico's matches, and from what I have seen of Real Madrid, it is clear they have great players, and when a match looks lost, they win it. As usual."
Is Barcelona the leading favourite?
Pressed on whether Barcelona should be the leading favourite, Torres again refused to rush to judgement, stressing the season is still young and the road ahead long for every team.
He said: "We are only at the beginning of the journey. The season is very long, there are injuries, and a thousand possibilities can happen. I think today they are one of the best-performing teams in Europe, without doubt, but the journey is still long."
That caution reflects his reluctance to judge too early, especially in a long season where injuries, results and the growth of teams can shift the balance of power.
As the conversation drifted towards the Champions League final at the Metropolitano, Torres was asked whether it represented something good or bad for Atletico Madrid.
The player and young coach tackled the question from a different angle, insisting the club is now readier to talk frankly about its ambitions without letting that affect the present.
He said: "I think Atletico has become, and I hope this continues, bolder in discussing matters frankly. When these questions are raised, it seems some people are afraid to answer them because we create an uncomfortable situation."
He added: "We, as fans, have to attend the matches wishing for the team to win. But we will not think about something that will happen in May, because the journey is still long."
Torres signed off with a clear message about taking the season one step at a time: "When the next Champions League match comes around, we will face it, just as we will face the one this coming Sunday."
