Ferran Torres, one step away from the Top 10 scorers in Spain

On the way to 50 matches with La Roja

At 25 years old, Ferran is about to reach a very special number. If he participates in the next match against Georgia this Saturday in Elche, he will reach 50 official matches with Spain. In reality, the player already has 51 appearances, but FIFA does not count the friendly against Jordan prior to the Qatar World Cup, as both teams made more than the six allowed substitutions in such matches. Since his first call-up with Luis Enrique, Ferran has shown his goal-scoring instinct. The then Spanish coach saw great potential in the player, who had already made the leap to the Premier League with Manchester City after standing out at Valencia CF. Initially, Lucho saw him as a pure right winger, but changed his mind upon realizing the danger he created every time he entered the opponent´s area. The best example was his double against Italy in the UEFA Nations League semifinal at San Siro, which qualified Spain for the final against France. In that decisive match, Ferran played physically limited and could not prevent the defeat against the French in the controversial match with Mbappé´s offside goal. He was also a key player in the historic 6-0 thrashing against Germany in that same competition, where he scored a hat-trick that allowed the national team to advance to the Final Four held in Italy.

One goal away from the historic Top 10

Ferran Torres continues to increase his numbers with La Roja. With 22 goals, he is just one goal away from entering the Top 10 all-time top scorers for the national team, a list led by David Villa (59 goals), followed by Raúl (44), Fernando Torres (38), Morata (37), David Silva (35), Fernando Hierro (29), Morientes (27), Butragueño (26), Di Stéfano (23), and Sergio Ramos (23). The player from Foios currently matches Julio Salinas and arrives at this concentration in top form, as he has shown with his good start to the season at FC Barcelona. “I am going to fight to be an undisputed starter,” he said last summer at his camp. And he has fulfilled it. Ferran has a winning mentality that drives him to set goals and achieve them.

The challenge of competing with Lewandowski

The forward has even contested the ´9´ position with Robert Lewandowski, a proven striker from whom he has acknowledged learning a lot over the past three years. Along with his usual ambition, he has added greater composure in front of goal, something that is clearly reflected in his statistics.

Return to the right wing?

In the Spanish national team, Ferran is competing for the center forward position with Mikel Oyarzabal, De la Fuente´s preferred choice so far. However, the injury to Lamine Yamal could allow the Valencia player to return to his natural position on the right wing, where he already shone during his time at Valencia. His versatility and ability to perform at a high level whether he plays a few minutes or the entire match have been key to earning the trust of De la Fuente and also Hansi Flick at Barça.

The dream of a new World Cup

Ferran aspires to participate in his second World Cup, after the bitter elimination against Morocco in the previous tournament´s round of 16. Although he is already leaving his mark with his goals on an individual level, his main objective is to win titles with Spain. The Euro 2024 was one of his greatest achievements as a professional, but the forward is already aiming for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The ´Shark´ wants to be there, show his goal-scoring instinct, and continue writing his story with La Roja.