When Fernando Torres joined Liverpool last summer, it was hard to know what to expect from him.

He came with a good reputation but his strike rate at Atletico Madrid was a little on the low side. He barely looked old enough to know what a razor was and given the physical nature of the Premier League he seemed to appear a little underpowered.

Plenty of other clubs had looked long and hard at him and the end result had been the same - he just wasn't quite good enough to justify taking a chance on. Thankfully, Rafa Benitez thought differently.

'A return of 31 goals in his debut season, playing in the toughest league in the world is stunning'


Just how much he actually cost Liverpool is open to debate. The media quoted figures around £26.5m, but comments made by Benitez suggest that this may be wide of the mark - he indicated that the total deal came in at around £20m including Luis Garcia moving the other way which would seem to indicate an outlay of £14m cash. While this seems on the low side, if the deal includes bonus payments based on performance (as has been reported) then you can see how it was satisfactory to all parties concerned.

At the end of the day, however, whatever he cost he was worth double it because since he's arrived he has proved to be electric.

It is easy to see how he earned his nickname "The Babyfaced Assassin" because while he looks about 14 he is deadly. A return of 31 goals in his debut season, playing in the toughest league in the world is stunning. Not only can he score goals but he knows how to handle himself on the pitch too - just ask the defenders that have tried to rough him up this season.

It is easy to forget just what a challenge this season has been for him. At Atletico Madrid he was a big fish in a small pond, and he has had to adapt to being just one name in a squad full of stars. He had never played in the Champions League (or even UEFA Cup) before, and while the Spanish League is full of quality, it is very different to the Premier League. Most players need a season to settle in to life in England which is a completely different culture to the continent, but it seems that at Anfield, Torres has found his spiritual home.

It was during Liverpool's first home game of the season, against Chelsea, that it became clear that their record signing was going to be something very special indeed.

The match may be best remembered for Rob Styles' appalling refereeing but Torres put down a marker that game and hasn't looked back since. Not only was there his superbly taken goal, where he exhibited a deft touch and change of pace to beat Tal Ben-Haim but more importantly was his response when John Terry decided to best way of dealing with this slightly built striker was to physically beat him out of the game.

Torres immediately responded in kind, and at the moment I knew he was going to be able to cope with the unique nature of the Premier League just fine.

The future is looking very bright for the young Spaniard. With a year's experience under his belt he will be hoping to do even better next season - a thought that must give defenders nightmares. If he can begin scoring away from home as frequently as he has been at Anfield then the record books could be his to write.

During what has been a long and difficult season for Liverpool, often overshadowed by off field problems, Torres has proved to be a very bright spark on the pitch.

He is, without a doubt, Liverpool's player of the season.