Yesterday Ferran Torres went to sleep much calmer. But not completely satisfied. With a winning mentality, the man from Foiós is one of those players who gets angry with themselves if they fail to score every time football gives them the chance to play. "Ferran is a competitive animal," says his entourage, recalling that when he was 20 he left visibly angry after scoring a hat trick with Spain against Germany because he missed two scoring chances. As always when he plays, he called his family and those close to him, who congratulated him on his good performance at the Camp Nou. They had plenty of reasons. It was his first start in 2023, he completed the 90 minutes showing a high level and was named man of the match. "I was missing that. He came from a period with hardly any minutes. It's difficult because of the pressure," Ferran himself confessed after the game.
Against Cádiz he returned to the right wing, unbalanced, overflowed and dribbled past three rivals in the play that led to the 1-0 draw for Barcelona. Although the goal was by Sergi Roberto, all the teammates came to celebrate with the Valencian. "I thank you for the support," he acknowledged. "He is a good friend to everyone," explained Gavi. He was even more excited by the ovation that the Camp Nou dedicated to him. "I work to achieve this," he acknowledged. Xavi Hernández also congratulated him. “He has taken an important step to gain confidence. I'm proud to have him, he works hard", said the coach.
But where has the solution gone? "Getting out of focus has helped him gain momentum," say those who know him. She opted for a low profile. He didn't even complain about Raphinha's gesture as he walked off the pitch angry when Xavi switched him. Later they talked and the Valencian thanked him for his apology.
The wait has been long. The last time Ferran Torres played at the start was on November 8 at El Sadar against Osasuna, Barcelona's last stop in the League before the break for the World Cup in Qatar. In the World Cup he barely managed to score two goals. At that time, Foiós had already been placed in the hands of a psychologist. He was too frustrated and couldn't get his scoring nose back. But he also noticed that he was not enough to help his companions. He had entered a loop, a negative spiral that prevented him from performing at the level expected by his class. He was always very aware that Barça made a huge effort to sign him by paying Manchester City 55 million euros and agreeing another 10 million in variables.
Since then, the man from Foiós has not stopped working. When Xavi gave the squad a party, he trained in the sports city on his behalf. In his mind, the rest days that the coach gave the players each time they won or surpassed the challenge he set them, were not for him. He didn't deserve them. “He has trained a lot. He is an example”, Xavi said. At the Camp Nou, after the goal play, he wanted more. He received a ball near the Cádiz area and shot, but his shot went over Ledesma's goal. He also entered the area after leaving two rivals and ended up shooting with a thread, but the ball grazed the post.
Today Barcelona will train. Tuesday will have a party. This time, Ferran Torres will rest and wait for the meritocracy with which Xavi usually rewards his players to take him to Old Trafford. “I want to make it difficult for him. I have worked a lot. But I also know that the difficult thing is to stay”, acknowledged the striker.
By the way. Despite some siren songs that reach the Camp Nou box, Torres wants to continue. And not in any way. "He is determined to succeed as a blaugrana," says his environment.
