The Spanish striker has long been one of the more polarizing figures in FC Barcelona. The club bought him in 2022 for as much as EUR 55 million from Manchester City, which was already considered too high. Has the Valencia graduate paid off? This is another issue that divides fans and experts. The Spaniard has so far played 127 matches for Barcelona, ​​in which he scored 30 times and made 15 assists. Little? A lot of? Opinions vary. Some will say that there should be more for this kind of money. Others will point out that Ferran often came off the bench.
Ferran Torres as Henrik Larsson? The Spaniards are flying in droves
He is also a substitute this season. Entering the pitch as a substitute against Borussia was the eighth such instance in the current competition out of Torres' fourteen appearances. This time he did great. The Spaniard replaced Robert Lewandowski and made a performance that the Pole would not be ashamed of. Two goals, including the one to make it 3-2, giving the Catalans a priceless victory. It's no wonder he received as much praise after that game as he's probably never seen before at Barcelona.
Catalan journalist Albert Masnou was exceptionally effusive in his admiration. In his text for the “Sport” daily, he praised Torres' skills, comparing him to… Henrik Larsson himself. The legendary striker of Celtic Glasgow and the Swedish national team (bronze in the 1994 World Cup) played for Barcelona in 2004-2006 and played the role of a very valuable substitute. In turn, another journalist of “Sport”, Joan Canete Bayle, noted that although Ferran is a different type of player, his usefulness is similar.
– In football terms, Ferran is not Larsson. The Swede was more of a box-to-box player, able to combine in a very small space. While Torres stands out primarily for his ability to create space by running into the penalty area unexpectedly – we read.
Kingdom for a good substitute?
– A substitute like Ferran or Larsson is a treasure. Or like Juan Antonio Pizzi, the Swede's predecessor, who played a similar role in the 96-97 and 97-98 seasons, scoring 18 goals in 73 matches. Ferran replaces Lewandowski, Larsson replaced Samuel Eto'o and Pizzi replaced Ronaldo. The ying and yang of attackers in all three cases. Their entrance scares the opponent and gives a new impetus to the team and the fans. It is also a symbol of how important changes are today. Now matches are won both with the starting eleven and with five substitutes – writes Canete Bayle.
Ferran will get another opportunity to present his skills today, on Sunday, December 15. At 21:00 Barcelona will play at home against Leganes. However, it is possible that Torres will not be a substitute this time, because some Spanish media predict that he will play from the first minute. Although not at the expense of Lewandowski.