Torres completes loan return to Atletico Madrid

Former Liverpool and Chelsea striker Fernando Torres completed his return to boyhood club Atletico Madrid after his new owners AC Milan agreed a loan deal with the Spanish champions on Monday.
Torres agreed a permanent transfer with the San Siro club from Chelsea on December 27 but was swiftly loaned back to the club where he built his reputation on a deal set to run until the end of the 2015-16 season.
The Madrid giants, who lost last year's Champions League final against arch rivals Real Madrid, confirmed the 30-year-old's return to the Vicente Calderon on their website.
"Fernando Torres returns to Atletico Madrid after an agreement reached by our club with Milan for the international striker to play on loan for the remainder of the season and one more," read an official club statement.
"The player will have a medical on January 5. He returns home, where he trained as a player and became one of our biggest stars."
Torres shot to stardom at his childhood club when he was made captain at just 17 in 2001 and went on to score 91 goals in 244 appearances for Atletico.
"I was not a Liverpool fan or a Chelsea fan in Madrid," he once said. "I was an Atletico fan. I still am. Maybe they're the only badge I will kiss."
After his rise in Madrid, he was then snapped up by Premier League club Liverpool where he spent four successful seasons before a high profile STG50 million ($A91.27 million) transfer to Chelsea where he struggled badly to reach his previous heights.
Torres scored some memorable goals for the Stamford Bridge outfit, notably in the 2012 Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona and the 2013 Europa League final when the Blues edged Benfica 2-1 in the final minute.
He also won the FA Cup as well as the Champions League but came in for constant scrutiny over his scoring rate of 45 total goals, 20 in the Premier League, in 172 matches.
The Spanish international, who also won the 2010 World Cup and 2008 and 2012 European championships, also found his place in the national team called into question
He has scored just one goal for AC Milan this season.
CLUB CAREER
* A lifelong Atletico Madrid fan, Torres joined club at the age of 11.
* Known as "El Nino" (The Kid), makes first-team debut as a 17-year-old in 2001 with Atletico in the Spanish second division.
* In only his second appearance, produces a virtuoso match-winning performance against Albacete at Atletico's Calderon stadium.
* Made club captain aged 19 and likened to David Beckham for his constant changes of hairstyle, appearances in promotional campaigns and a video with a Spanish pop group.
* Joins Liverpool in July 2007 and scores first goal against Chelsea at Anfield.
* Nets three hat-tricks on the way to amassing 33 goals in first season in England.
* Joins Chelsea in January 2011 for a club record fee of £50 million (A$95.4 million) having scored 65 goals in 102 league appearances for Liverpool and 81 in 142 games in all competitions.
* Struggles to recreate same consistency in London, partly due to a series of injuries, but quickly becomes a firm fan favourite.
* In 2011-12, scores against Barcelona in Champions League semi-final at the Nou Camp to help secure a place in the final, where Chelsea beat Bayern Munich after a penalty shootout.
* Opens scoring in the 2013 Europa League final victory against Benfica and ends campaign with goals in seven different competitions, a club record.
* For one week in May 2013 Torres and compatriot Juan Mata are holders of the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League and Europa League titles.
INTERNATIONAL CAREER
* Top scorer and player of the tournament when Spain win the European Under-16 Championship in 2001. Repeats the feat when they win the European Under-19 Championship the following year.
* Earns first senior cap for Spain in 3-0 friendly win against Portugal in 2003 at age of 19 and scores first goal in friendly against Italy in 2004.
* Scores winning goal against Germany in Euro 2008 final as Spain win first major silverware in 44 years.
* Helps Spain to first World Cup crown in South Africa in 2010 and is involved in the build-up to Andres Iniesta's winning goal in the final before being forced off injured.
* Scores Spain's third off the bench and sets up Mata for the fourth as the holders crush Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 final. Wins golden boot as tournament's joint top scorer with three goals.
* Makes 100th appearance as Spain cruise to a 5-0 friendly win over Saudi Arabia in 2012.
* Included in squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where Spain are dumped out in the group stage following defeats by Netherlands and Chile.
AFP