Fernando Torres Has Gone From £50m Man to Everyman—And Earned Our Respect

Chelsea's Fernando Torres ended his 1,541-minute goal drought on Sunday afternoon when he dribbled a weak shot past Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. And though the Blues went on to a 5-2 victory in the FA Cup quarterfinal tilt, the focus was inevitably on Torres and his brace.

With the first goal, Stamford Bridge erupted in shared joy and relief. Torres' Chelsea teammates wrapped him up as they might a shell-shocked teenager in his debut. Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo wore the wry grin of a proud, but long-suffering parent.

El Nino had finally scored in the sunshine. And only the coldest of sporting hearts could fail to find warmth in the apologetic celebrations that followed, as a once devastating attacking force sheepishly applauded fans who had lent him their patience and spared him their vitriol.

Torres cost Chelsea £50 million and earns an estimated £175,000/week, but in his earnest struggle against a humiliating and seemingly everlasting slump, his plight has become that of a hapless everyman.

It wasn't just Chelsea fans who basked in his FA Cup double on Sunday—his was a release to be celebrated by any football fan, anywhere, with a conscience. You could even go so far as to say it carried a message of universal hope amid adversity.

Torres might be a privileged multimillionaire who gets paid for chasing a ball around, but recently he's been best known as a high-profile footballing embarrassment.

As any good politician will tell you, there's no amount of money that can buy back your reputation.

Torres' two tallies on Sunday were the Spaniard's first goals since October 2011, and his first in nearly 26 hours of play on the field—enough time to have watched The Godfather trilogy twice through (and still take in both Scarface and Goodfellas).

His detractors will tell you he's fired more blanks than the guns in the filming of all those movies combined. Such public failure has made Torres the Premier League's premier laughing stock.

Facebook groups have been launched to ridicule his misses, a song posted on YouTube to undermine Roman Abramovich's enormous investment gone wrong, and countless jokes passed around football fans all over the world.

"

Fernando Torres walks into a bar and says, 'I'll have a couple of shots, please.' The barman replies, 'That's not like you.'

"

When his dry spell hit the 24-hour mark earlier this month, the comedic campaign against him was given fresh impetus. There was even a video tribute produced in the style of the 24 television series.

Torres was at an all-time low. Dropped by Spain for their recent friendly against Venezuela and facing the possibility of missing out on a place at Euro 2012, the 27-year-old started Chelsea's sixth-round tie against Leicester without a goal in 24 games—a span of 150 days.

His goalscoring knack might have hopelessly deserted him, but Torres was at least channeling his frustrations in his commitment to the cause. Good, honest hard work and humility in the face of adversity have gone a long way in endearing him to the masses.

And in his willingness to play a peripheral role—along with the obvious financial implications of putting a £50 million player out to seed—there remained the opportunity for redemption.

Torres got a small taste of it on Sunday.

His goals might have come against Championship opposition, but it's not the opposition that's been the problem for El Nino—it's the crisis of self-confidence dulling his natural finishing instincts, those responsible for 81 goals in 147 games for Liverpool.

It's too early to suggest those instincts are returning full force, but could it be that Chelsea's recent upturn in fortunes under interim manager Di Matteo has provided Torres with a climate more suited to nurturing his fragile mental state?

From what Torres has been saying, he certainly feels more positive under Di Matteo than he did under Andre Villas-Boas.

"They have all been with me," Torres told reporters on Sunday. "The teammates, the staff. I feel the confidence of the manager now, and obviously it is a good time for me and for Chelsea."

Di Matteo has won four of four since succeeding Villas-Boas, taking the Blues past Napoli in the Champions League and now booking a Wembley FA Cup semifinal against Bolton or Tottenham.

Even if he brings Abramovich a trophy, could it be that Di Matteo's greatest legacy will be finally unlocking £50 million of thus-far unseen talent? Here's what the manager had to say after the win against Leicester:

"

I think the whole team, the club and supporters are happy (for Torres). He works so hard for the team, he is a great team player. You get rewarded when you work hard in life and I think we are all happy that he helped us win.

Hopefully his confidence is going to be high. I didn't mind when he wasn't scoring because as long as we win as a team that is what matters to me.

"

Whatever happens next for Torres, I find myself rooting ever more strongly for him to overcome his demons and plot a course back to where he belongs—even if it means success for the likes of John Terry and Ashley Cole as a byproduct.

The Premier League's most expensive player has been reduced from £50 million man to everyman in his time at Chelsea, but he's maintained his dignity and his focus throughout and may yet come full circle.

If he does, Torres will have earned every accolade he receives and proven himself as strong mentally as any striker in the business.

He's already won our respect, now for our admiration.

It's Manchester City and Tottenham next in the league for Chelsea, then a Champions League quarterfinal against Benfica. And if all goes well, who knows, Torres could yet find himself lining up in a FA Cup Final against Liverpool.

How sweet for him to score the winner in that one.