Spain striker Fernando Torres retires from soccer Friday June 21,2019

Spain`s World Cup-winning striker Fernando Torres announced his retirement from football on Friday June 21,2019, bringing an end to a glittering 18-year career.

Torres, who scored more than 100 goals across two spells at his boyhood club Atletico Madrid, also played for Premier League sides Liverpool and Chelsea and Italy`s AC Milan.


He left Atletico to join Japan`s Sagan Tosu in July last year but has struggled to hit the heights of his best days at Atletico and Liverpool at the J-League side.

"After 18 exciting years, the time has come to put an end to my football career," the 35-year-old wrote on Twitter, adding that he would hold a news conference in Japan on Sunday to explain his decision.

Torres made his Spain debut in 2003 and scored the winning goal in the 2008 European Championship final against Germany before helping his country win their first World Cup in 2010.


He was the top scorer at Euro 2012 as Spain successfully defended their title and scored 38 goals in 110 appearances for his country in total, making him Spain`s country`s third-highest goalscorer behind David Villa (59) and Raul (44).

Torres enjoyed his the most prolific spell at Liverpool between 2007 and 2011, netting 81 goals in 142 games across all competitions.

He moved to Chelsea from Liverpool for a then British record fee of 50 million pounds ($63.49 million), and won the FA Cup, Champions League and Europa League with the London club.
($1 = 0.7875 pounds)


Fernando Torres 's career in pictures

Fernando Torres won two European Championships and the World Cup with Spain

Torres made his senior debut for Atletico in 2001 when they were playing in Spain's second division

At age 19 he was made captain

In 2007 he joined Liverpool for £20m under manager Rafael Benitez

He scored 33 goals in his debut season - only Mohamed Salah (44 in 2017-18) has ever scored more in his debut season for the Reds

At Euro 2008 he scored the winner in the final to give Spain a 1-0 victory over Germany

Torres endeared himself to Liverpool fans with his performances against Manchester United

Torres won the World Cup in 2010 in South Africa, coming on as a substitute in extra time in the final

His move to Chelsea in 2011 for £50m was a then British transfer record and the fourth biggest in the world at that point

His greatest moment in a Chelsea shirt was his injury-time winner against Barcelona at the Nou Camp which sent Chelsea through to the Champions League final where they beat Bayern Munich on penalties

He scored the third goal in the Euro 2012 final as Spain beat Italy 4-0 - he is the only player to score in two European Championship finals

He joined AC Milan on a two-year loan in August 2014, but left for Atletico four months later

In his two spells at Atletico he scored 121 goals in 350 games

His final game for the club was as a 90th-minute substitute in the 2018 Europa League final defeat of Marseille