Everyone was congratulating Ferran Torres in the bowels of the Düsseldorf Arena, the forward happy with the trophy that accredited him as POTM after his remarkable performance against Albania. Spain won the game and did so with a goal from the Valencian, another trophy to add to his ever-growing collection. "I have a kind of trophy cabinet at home and I have both individual and team titles there. I have it so when you move around the house, I always walk past it and it's a way of remembering everything I've done," he sums up.
Something happens to Ferran when he puts on the Spain shirt, he himself finds it hard to understand. He scores every 133 minutes, and that record puts him among the very best. "Twenty goals, who would have thought... It only feels like two days ago that I was making my debut with the national team and, as I've always said, with the national team, Ferran is a player I didn't even know myself. I've always said that I want to make history with the national team, to be among the legends who are among the top scorers, and to keep dreaming big".
He tells us about his habits and routines, about his way of understanding life, about his music. "Throughout the day I change my music. It's true that in the mornings I like something calmer, quieter, but as the day goes by and the match approaches I like something more upbeat, reggaeton... In the end it helps to motivate you more".
And he does so with the memory of his people, represented by a cross that is of incalculable value to him. "The cross is a gift given to me by my family, my friends and my team. I keep it on me with great affection. The faith I have in myself and in the energy we transmit is also something that accompanies me at matches, it's a way of seeing my people when I see the cross.
In Germany, Ferran Torres smells blood and wants more, which is why he is so comfortable with the shark nickname that came about in the most unexpected way. "The shark shin pads... they were a gift from a fan, who gave them to me in exchange for a T-shirt. I gave him the T-shirt and when I saw the shin guards, I really liked them. Mine were already worn out, I put them on and they are bringing me luck...".
He has his superstitions and also his routines, which haven't done him badly. That's why, before going into battle each time, he dedicates some time to silence in the dressing room. "It's a moment of tension before the match, you've just come from warming up, your heart rate is very high... It's a moment to talk to myself, to analyse the situation, to transmit calmness... To bring calm to myself".
He also finds it very relaxing to have an ice bath every morning, at 8 degrees Celsius in the pool, maybe even lower. "At the beginning I started by myself. By constantly badgering him, I was able to bring Pedri with me every morning... It's a way of elevating yourself. When we get out of bed we don't feel like getting into something as cold as that. On a physical level, it helps us. And to manage emotions on a mental level, it helps me a lot to start with a cold bath".
That's Ferran Torres, a striker who has been through a thousand battles, and has come out feeling very sure of himself and every day more and more aware that in football there are good days and bad. That's what he has engraved on his skin. "It's a tattoo I have on my ankle, I got it with my sister and my cousin and it means that I refuse to give up, no matter how bad things go, bad days also happen and you have to know how to face them with the same enthusiasm with which you face a good day".