Can Atletico Madrid's Oliver Torres Gatecrash Spain's Euro 2016 Squad?

Atletico Madrid won 4-0, and an exquisite finish from Torres was one of the highlights.

In the past such a statement would barely warrant much discussion as Fernando “El Nino” Torres burst onto the scene with Atletico on his way to worldwide acclaim and, for a while at least, the status of one of the very best forwards in world football.

But as Torres senior now winds down an eventful career back at Atletico, it was another Torres who was stealing the limelight in the midweek Champions League win over Kazakhstani minnows Astana.

Midfielder Oliver Torres—who perhaps wisely often drops the “T word” part of his name—produced a wonderful chip to make it 3-0 on the night and provide the latest evidence that, at 20, he has quickly become a key player for Diego Simeone’s side.

Although not a prolific goalscorer, Oliver will see the strike as a perfect tonic as he seeks to become a more well-rounded midfield player, as he told Sport after the game:

“The truth is I'm happy with the goal, which is good for personal confidence, but above all I'm happy with the three points.

“I work every day, so that when I have the chance I can help the team. The individual must work for the collective to be able to do something big.”

So far, so very cliched, but there is nothing average about the Spanish under-18, -19, -20 and -21 youth international, who looks ready to take the next step up and join the Spanish senior squad ahead of the Euro 2016 championships in France next summer. It would be just reward for a quick career development.

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Although he had managed more than a handful of appearances for the Atletico first team before last season, it was—as has been the case with so many top-level players in recent history—a move to Porto for 2014/15 that really set Oliver out on the path to stardom.

He scored an impressive seven goals from midfield during his loan spell in Portugal last year, when he was nominated for Europe’s prestigious “Golden Boy” award that eventually went to England’s Raheem Sterling.

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England could loom large in Oliver’s immediate future, too, with international friendlies—against the Three Lions in Alicante and then the new world No. 1s Belgium in Brussels next mont—surely giving Spain manager Vicente del Bosque the chance to blood exciting young players. In scoring his first goal of the season this week, Oliver was effectively reminding Del Bosque of just what a talent he is.

No doubt benefitting from Atletico’s sale of Arda Turan to Barcelona—even inheriting his No. 10 shirt—Oliver looks ready to make that step up now, and a place in the Spanish squad for Euro 2016 shouldn’t be ruled out.

Whether he is on that well-worn path that has seen several of Atletico’s star players—including his namesake Fernando—eventually turn their backs on the club and embrace new challenges elsewhere remains to be seen, but in Simeone, Oliver probably has the best manager he could have right now.

As recalled in Michael Yokhin’s profile of the player for ESPN FC in January, the Argentinian coach was already trusting in the midfielder before he’d even played for the club’s B team and before he’d even turned 18 years old. His first appearance on a La Liga teamsheet came as an unused substitute in April 2012, before he got his first outing four months later.

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Players with less experience have been rushed though into senior international folds, and probably players who are less gifted have been, too.

Of course, breaking into surely the standout national team of the last decade is a tough thing to do, but this just seems to be the right time for Del Bosque to inject a little more youth, a little more creativity and a little more energy into his squad.

Oliver has all of those qualities in abundance, so much so that we might not be calling him “the other Torres” for much longer.