Fernando Torres has admitted there were times during last season when his confidence had slumped so low that he did not want to come off the Chelsea bench.
Torres failed to justify his £50 million fee for much of the 2011/12 campaign, netting a mere 11 goals from 49 appearances and being described as one of the biggest transfer flops of all time.
The season ended on a high for the Spain international, as he won the FA Cup, the Champions League and Euro 2012 – however, he feels those triumphs are tainted as he did not contribute fully to the cause.
“The season was not for me, it was for others. Chelsea won the FA Cup but I didn’t play the semi-final or the final. I didn’t taste anything,” he told La Razon.
“I feel I participated a bit more in the Champions League but even so it was not the Champions League I wanted to win, not like that. I want to win another Champions League and in a different way.
“The fans helped me a lot – and you don’t understand why. You come from outside and you have played well in this league and, with the Spanish mentality, the first who should have turned against you are the fans. You are not living up to expectations but they still support you. These people are special.
“At times I was thinking, ‘I will sit here on the bench, I won’t make any noise, I don’t even want to play.’ But they are demanding that you jump on the pitch and play. They lifted my spirits so many times.
“Not even my team-mates succeeded in doing that in this way. Whatever I do from now on will be for the fans. That is why I want to win another Champions League. For them.”
ESPN
