Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Fernando Torres: I Thought Benitez's Call Was A Prank!

El Nino has revealed how he believed he was being hoodwinked when Rafa Benitez phoned him last year to ask if he wanted to join the Reds.

After weeks of negotiations between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, Fernando Torres made the switch to England in the summer of 2007 for €25 million.

Many questioned Rafael Benitez's decision to spend so much money a player whose goalscoring record in the Primera Division was no more than decent - even Torres himself, as it turns out.

The Spain star revealed that, after his soon-to-be manager made his intentions known, he contacted Reds goalkeeper Pepe Reina to make sure it wasn't a joke.

"When Rafa phoned me on my mobile, at the start I was asking myself if this was some person imitating him," he told the press yesterday.

"So I called Reina to make sure it really was Rafa’s number. After that, I didn’t have to think for long. I knew that was the call I had been waiting for."

60 games and 38 goals later, there are no longer any queries as to the validity of Benitez's interest - or whether Torres was worth the money.

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