Torres so happy to be back at Atletico

Thegoalmac has learned that Fernando Torres has expressed his gratitude to Atletico Madrid for sealing his return to the club and spoken of his desire to fire them to further success.

The 30-year-old watched from the stands as the Liga champions beat Levante 3-1 on Saturday and cut the gap between themselves and leaders Real Madrid to just a point.

Torres was then unveiled to supporters at the stadium on Sunday. Fans were queueing up for two hours before the event and 45,000 showed up to give their returning hero a thunderous reception as he was paraded on the pitch.

"Leaving this club was the hardest decision of my career. Seven years ago I said goodbye and today I am back, it is hard not to be excited," he told reporters.

"From the outside I have been excited when the club has won trophies and suffered when they have suffered defeats.

"I want to thank everyone who made it possible for me to come back to the club. I left because I needed to grow but now I find a team that has grown and is competing with the best in the world.

"My dream is to win trophies with Atletico."

Torres could make his second debut in the Copa del Rey round-of-16 clash with city rivals Madrid on Wednesday.