Liverpool's Spanish sensation Fernando Torres has vowed not to become complacent after he managed to top his record-smashing debut season in England by scoring the goal which ended his country's 44 year trophy drought.
The 24-year old moved to Anfield from Atletico Madrid in a £22 million deal last summer, and despite doubts from several leading pundits, went on to score 33 times for The Reds in his debut campaign.
His transition from the Estadio Vicente Calderon to Anfield has been so seamless, that he even has designs of succeeding Steven Gerrard as captain of the storied Merseyside club one day.
Torres told The Mirror: "I really admire Steven Gerrard because I know the pressure he is under every day, everybody talking about him all day long, in changing rooms, in the pubs, in the stadium.
"I've heard people say that he should be stronger, have a stronger personality. And I know from experience how difficult it is to deal with all that. He is at another level of course, because Liverpool is a huge club.
"But I was captain of my team from a very young age and I know everybody was talking about me. I could feel it. I could see it out of the corner of my eye - especially when things weren't going right.
"People look at you from a distance and challenge you with their eyes. All that happens every day to Stevie and he copes with it - he copes with everything that is expected of him all the time.
"He's always under tremendous pressure to perform and everyone looks to him to show leadership, to lift the team.
"He has been a great example to everyone and those of us who have been in a similar situation know how difficult it is to handle.
It's incredible how he carries himself regardless of what's going on."
"I'd love to be captain one day - Steven has shown me how to be a great leader."
Torres also was keen to give Rafa Benitez credit for his career reaching a whole new stratosphere over the past year.
"Rafa has taught me to demand a lot of myself daily, not to relax. When you are in a team where things are going mostly well, players tend to relax.
"But you must always push yourself and never become complacent, try to do your best every single day. At a club like Liverpool, you can't sit back after scoring 20-odd goals and say, 'Well, that's it'.
"After you score 20, Benitez is on at you during the next training session and stays on top of you all day, all week. He tells you to go off on your own and do new exercises.
"There are days when you think, "My God, this guy does not let you breathe'. At times like that you don't realise that all he wants is for you to improve.
"I want to progress in life, not relax, not be complacent. And you need someone close to you telling you to keep at it. It is impossible to do it otherwise.
"We don't always fancy having someone like that so close. But in the long term, I'm sure everybody will thank him for it."
The 24-year old moved to Anfield from Atletico Madrid in a £22 million deal last summer, and despite doubts from several leading pundits, went on to score 33 times for The Reds in his debut campaign.
His transition from the Estadio Vicente Calderon to Anfield has been so seamless, that he even has designs of succeeding Steven Gerrard as captain of the storied Merseyside club one day.
Torres told The Mirror: "I really admire Steven Gerrard because I know the pressure he is under every day, everybody talking about him all day long, in changing rooms, in the pubs, in the stadium.
"I've heard people say that he should be stronger, have a stronger personality. And I know from experience how difficult it is to deal with all that. He is at another level of course, because Liverpool is a huge club.
"But I was captain of my team from a very young age and I know everybody was talking about me. I could feel it. I could see it out of the corner of my eye - especially when things weren't going right.
"People look at you from a distance and challenge you with their eyes. All that happens every day to Stevie and he copes with it - he copes with everything that is expected of him all the time.
"He's always under tremendous pressure to perform and everyone looks to him to show leadership, to lift the team.
"He has been a great example to everyone and those of us who have been in a similar situation know how difficult it is to handle.
It's incredible how he carries himself regardless of what's going on."
"I'd love to be captain one day - Steven has shown me how to be a great leader."
Torres also was keen to give Rafa Benitez credit for his career reaching a whole new stratosphere over the past year.
"Rafa has taught me to demand a lot of myself daily, not to relax. When you are in a team where things are going mostly well, players tend to relax.
"But you must always push yourself and never become complacent, try to do your best every single day. At a club like Liverpool, you can't sit back after scoring 20-odd goals and say, 'Well, that's it'.
"After you score 20, Benitez is on at you during the next training session and stays on top of you all day, all week. He tells you to go off on your own and do new exercises.
"There are days when you think, "My God, this guy does not let you breathe'. At times like that you don't realise that all he wants is for you to improve.
"I want to progress in life, not relax, not be complacent. And you need someone close to you telling you to keep at it. It is impossible to do it otherwise.
"We don't always fancy having someone like that so close. But in the long term, I'm sure everybody will thank him for it."
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