Liverpool have revealed Fernando Torres as the first official ICON for EA Sports FC 27 Ultimate Team. The Spaniard’s inclusion was announced to mark 19 years since his Liverpool debut.
Torres made his competitive debut against Aston Villa on August 11, 2007, before scoring his first goal for the club against Chelsea the following week.
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Liverpool unveiled Torres’ Ultimate Team item, which carries an 89 overall rating, up from his 87-rated base ICON card in FC 26.
The card could suggest that ICONs will have a minimum rating of 88 in FC 27, although some fans believe the item shown could instead be a special pre-order bonus due to its dynamic design.
Few players have been adored by Liverpool fans as much as Fernando Torres, while few departures have been as difficult to accept.
Torres joined Liverpool from Atletico Madrid for a club-record fee of around £20 million in July 2007 and was handed the No.9 shirt previously worn by Robbie Fowler.
He quickly became a Kop favourite, scoring 33 goals in his debut season and becoming the first Liverpool player since Fowler in 1996-97 to surpass 30 goals.
After spending 12 years with Atletico Madrid, Torres arrived at Anfield amid significant interest from clubs across Europe. He made his competitive debut against Aston Villa on August 11, 2007, before scoring his first Liverpool goal against Chelsea a week later.
Successive hat-tricks against Middlesbrough and West Ham helped him finish the 2007-08 season with 33 goals, including 24 in the Premier League. He also scored the winning goal in Spain’s Euro 2008 final victory over Germany.
Injuries disrupted his second season, but Torres still scored 17 goals in 38 appearances as Liverpool finished runners-up in the Premier League. He later scored 22 goals in 32 appearances during the 2009-10 campaign despite undergoing two knee operations.
Torres was also part of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad in 2010, but his final months at Liverpool proved difficult as he struggled to rediscover his best form.
On January 28, 2011, following a bid from Chelsea, Torres submitted a transfer request and told Liverpool he wanted to leave. Three days later, he completed his move to Stamford Bridge for another British-record transfer fee.