TORRES BREAKS RECORD AS GARATE HAILS HIM

Fernando Torres was recently named among players that would for the starting XI for the match against Rostov on Tuesday evening.

This game made sure Torres got his 326th appearance for Atletico Madrid, going a step ahead of one of the most prolific strikers ever for Atletico, Jose Eulogio Garate.

Garate once donned the red and white colours for Atletico around the 1970s where he made a name for himself, appearing no less than 325 times for his team and scoring a total of 137 goals. This thus gave him a lengendary status and a playing record at Atletico Madrid which Torres just broke.
While in a chat with MARCA, Garate was of the opinion that he wouldn’t mind seeing Torres surpass his own total goal tally. His words:

“[Torres] is playing like a kid again.”

“He is scoring goals too, but what I love about him most is that he never gives up. He has time, you can now play 60, 70 games a season if you stay fit. In my time the maximum was 50.”
The former striker for Atletico was impressed with his club’s sterling performance since the start of the season and did not mince words in laying praises on a few of the key players.

“I love [Antoine] Griezmann, [Kevin] Gameiro and [Yannick] Carrasco; there is so much speed in the way they dribble and attack the goal, and with this confidence we will go far,”
Saturday evening will see Atletico Madrid head off to Real Sociedad as they attempt to advance and remain a little closer to the El Classico giants, Real Madrid who currently sits atop of the LaLiga table.

Torres also has said that he does not mind the competition for a starting spot for matches at Atletico which he sees as being “tough and healthy” and which he has no problem taking on.

In La Liga games however, he sometimes have had to be substituted with other players such as Kevin Gameiro, Antoine Griezmann, Yannick Carrasco and Angel Correa.