Fernando Torres says winning the Champions League with Chelsea pales in comparison to the notion of success this season with Atletico Madrid because of his poor treatment at Stamford Bridge.
The Spanish striker spent four underwhelming seasons at Stamford Bridge following a £50m transfer from Liverpool in 2011, going on to score 45 goals in 172 games for the west London side.
Torres endured fierce criticism for failing to emulate his dazzling displays at Anfield.
However, he is now aiming to win this year’s Champions League with Atletico Madrid and put those days behind him.
“Nothing would beat winning the Champions League with Atletico,” Torres said. “I won it with Chelsea, but I was not in a good place. I did not feel I was being treated well at the time — I felt lost.
“I don’t want to talk about those moments. My career is going so well at the moment, and I feel so at home and full of confidence that I do not want to relive those days.”
The 32-year-old, who is on loan at the Rojiblancos from Milan, did win the FA Cup, Europa League and Champions League with Chelsea but failed to reach double figures for league goals in any of his five seasons with the club.
Torres has now been back at the Vicente Calderon for the past two seasons, having scored 11 La Liga goals for the club this term.
He has only netted once in the Champions League, against Barcelona during the quarter-final first leg.
Torres did start his career at Atletico Madrid in 2000 but has only ever won the Spanish Segunda Division with the side, making this year’s final even more special for ‘El Nino’.
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