Fernando Torres has said that turning out in front of Atletico Madrid’s fervent support in their new Wanda Meropolitano home is his “greatest achievement”.
Diego Simeone’s side played their first game at the 67,703 capacity venue on Saturday, coming out on top thanks to an Antoine Griezmann goal to nil against Malaga.
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Torres, who has won the European Championships twice, World Cup and Champions League throughout his career, came on as a substitute, and as an icon of the club underlined how special a moment it was.
“For me, the satisfaction is wearing this shirt in front of these fans, and feeling their affection that they have is to me my greatest achievement,” he said.
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“It seemed like a final. We still don’t see it as our home. The important thing was the result – everything is more beautiful when you win. Now we dream of experiencing more great nights.”
The Vincente Calderon was renowned as one of the most intense atmospheres in Spanish football, and Torres says there is more responsibility on Atleti to live up to that image in their new stadium.
“We have a responsibility to bring the Calderon’s soul to this stadium. It’s an honour and a responsibility,” he said.
Torres has played close to 300 league games for Atleti over two spells, scoring 104 goals.
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