‘Welcome home’: Fernando Torres returns to Atletico Madrid as coach of their under-19 side

Fernando Torres has rejoined his beloved Atletico Madrid after being appointed head coach of the club’s under-19 side for next season.

The former striker, who retired from the game in 2019 after ending a second spell with Atletico the previous year, had joined the club’s youth system as a coach last season but stepped aside from his role with the reserve team for personal reasons.

Torres is one of Atletico’s most iconic players of all-time and was idolised by fans ever since he broke into the team in the 2001 to fire them back to LaLiga after they had been relegated to the second division the previous season.

Torres made 404 appearances for his boyhood club in two spells, scoring 129 goals

He remained a fan favourite even after joining Liverpool in 2007 and when he came back to the club in 2015 some 45,000 fans flocked to the Vicente Calderon just to see him presented. 

He finally won a trophy with Atletico in his final season with the club and came off the bench in their 3-0 win over Marseille in the Europa League final.

He then bid farewell to the club in fitting style by scoring twice against Eibar in his final game at the club’s new Wanda Metropolitano stadium, bowing out with 129 goals in 404 games in all competitions.

He ended his career a year later with Sagan Tosu in Japan.

Torres scored in the Euro 2008 final against Germany to fire Spain to a first trophy in 44 years

‘Fernando Torres has come back home. The Atletico legend has come back to our club to take the reins of the under-19 team for the 2021/22 season,’ the LaLiga champions said in a statement. 

‘Torres, who last year worked with several of the club’s youth teams in order to get to know the workings of the club, will take another step in his coaching education on his way to becoming a first team coach.

‘Welcome home Fernando’.