Ferran Torres’ departure from Barça will not be traumatic because the Valencian never really connected either on a sporting or emotional level with the culé fans despite posting decent, at times notable, numbers during his four and a half seasons at Camp Nou. The missed chances and some goal droughts have remained more in the memory of Barcelona fans than his 65 goals in 207 matches as a blaugrana since he joined the club in January 2022.
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The fixed 55 million plus 10 million variables agreed by the Barcelona entity for his transfer to Manchester City, which was also the first big expenditure by Laporta’s board after Messi’s departure, set a very high bar from the start that the 26-year-old from Foios has not managed to surpass, never a regular starter in favor of Robert Lewandowski. In 113 matches he started the games and in 94 he came off the bench. He did not settle as a winger in his early days at Barça and, being the main attacking reference as a center forward, a position more constant with Flick’s arrival, he has not convinced either.
113 matches as a starter and 94 as a substitute
The Foios native has scored 65 goals in his 207 matches
The shark, as he calls himself, scored some iconic goals in his years with Xavi Hernández on the bench, such as the one against Real Madrid in the 4-0 thrashing at the Bernabéu, although his best seasons are the last two. Ferran scored 19 goals across all competitions in the 2024-25 season, with special attention to the goal at the Metropolitano that qualified the blaugranas for the Copa del Rey final and the one that forced extra time against Real Madrid in the title match. Although with more minutes played, 2692 in total, last season he surpassed his figures with 21 goals, 16 in La Liga including the decisive one in the clásico against Madrid that sealed the title.
The Barcelona fans never had him among their favorites, his name was never chanted, but all his coaches have valued his work off the ball beyond his goal-scoring effectiveness. The intensity to press, the constant runs off the ball, or his attitude when entering the field, without a single bad face despite his eternal label as a substitute, are aspects that have been appreciated not only by the staff but also by his teammates, who hold him in high regard.
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Negative assessments about his performance led Ferran Torres to seek psychology to prevent criticism from affecting him. The forward has mainly responded on the field, sometimes with goal celebrations dedicated to his detractors, and even in the last World Cup he felt undervalued by public opinion after missing two chances in the debut against Cape Verde. He only felt “liberated” from his “suffering” after scoring the historic goal in extra time of the final in New Jersey.
The goal against Argentina raised his sporting status several notches, also in the media with multiple interviews in the U.S., and attracted the interest of the two-time Champions League winner. Faced with Barça’s indifference, which had not yet offered him a renewal despite his contract ending in 2027, Ferran Torres accepted the five-year contract presented by PSG. The Valencian returns to the blaugrana club practically the entire amount invested in his transfer, almost 50 million euros, and leaves after winning seven titles (three Leagues, one Cup, and three Supercups). But he heads to Paris without having won the affection of the demanding culé crowd nor having left the mark he intended when arriving at Camp Nou.
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