A truly great read, to be honest it brought up a lot of happy memories, the bad memories of when he left completely faded for me a long time ago. I will say this, I adored Nando, and watching him play with Stevie was a joy, it was guilt free, uncomplicated pleasure.
I remember that Blackburn goal, I remember it for it's brilliance, I remember it for the hope and belief I had whenever I watched Liverpool play and I remember it for the period of my life when it happened. The Torres interview is full of nostalgia and for me, it slides on like a comfy, warm blanket, a welcome an old friend.
The club wasn't in turmoil, Rafa was building something special and Alonso, Gerrard and Torres were an almost holy trinity. Alonso's vision, Gerrard's power and sheer will, and Torres' irrefutable predatory nature, translated into a weekly spectacular, it was manna from heaven.
By the time Torres departed the world was bleaker, if not bleaker, it had changed, or perhaps maybe I had changed. I am unsure which, but that feeling of watching the 3 of them play together with Torres leading the line, has never been equalled for me. I guess that is the power of nostalgia. Watching the force of nature that was Suarez never quite rivalled it, although it did come perilously close at times, but Liverpool had changed, the world had changed and I had changed. You don't come through the ownership problems we had as a club without some scars, without becoming a little tougher and perhaps a little more jaded and cynical. That is what Torres was and remains for me, he embodied my enjoyment of football before the scars, before the cynicism and before growing up and I still love his memory for that gift.
I hate to compare players but I will dip briefly into the Suarez v Torres debate:
For me Suarez is a shire horse a strong, magnificent, versatile animal that can pull and carry a whole team. Torres is the thoroughbred racehorse, certainly more one dimensional, but their is something majestic about an animal that is perfect in a narrow field. The one thing the racehorse does, it does beautifully.
Honestly, it is Torres for me, I know Suarez is a more rounded player, he is technically more gifted, I know this to be true, but I love a thoroughbred and in my mind Nando will always be the racehorse.