Torres admits Liverpool regret, praises 'best teammate' Gerrard
Fernando Torres felt like "a king" at Liverpool, where he and Steven Gerrard were "made for each other", but the striker says he had to leave.
The Spaniard established himself as one of the world's best strikers at Anfield, where he scored 81 goals in three and a half seasons after joining from Atletico Madrid in 2007.
But with the Reds going through a period of transition during the 2010-11 campaign, Torres joined Chelsea for $90million to enhance his opportunities to win trophies.
The 30-year-old has since won the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup at Stamford Bridge, but Torres has struggled to recapture the form which made him an idol of the Kop and now admits it was hard to walk away from Merseyside and the relationship he had developed with Reds captain Gerrard.
"At Liverpool, I had almost everything but titles," Torres said.
"There, I felt like a king but the team was falling apart. The directors had sold Mascherano to Barca, then Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid without investing any of the money to compensate for the departure of these two key players.
"I was 27, I wanted to know what it was like to lift the Champions League and I had the feeling it was not going to happen with the Reds. Liverpool then was in full transition, the club was being sold and in that case, unless you are Manchester City or PSG, it can be a long road before you are again competitive."
"I did not have the time to wait. One day, Steven Gerrard came to say to me: 'Fernando, now, you have to think of yourself. Do what you have to do.'"
"But when I went to tell him that I was going to accept the Chelsea offer, it destroyed him.
"Announcing my departure from Liverpool to Gerrard was one of the most difficult moments of my career. He was my best team-mate and I am not sure of finding another like him in the future. We were made for each other."
