As Pau Torres slammed home Villarreal’s second of a famous 3-0 win at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday night, the travails of Tottenham Hotspur were probably the last thing on his mind.
But, when the dust settles on a stunning Champions League triumph on Juventus’ hallowed turf, Villarreal’s homegrown centre-back could be forgiven for looking back to last summer’s transfer window and feeling that the decision he made, when Spurs came calling, had been justified during an iconic evening in Turin.
“I was informed of Tottenham’s interest,” Spain international Torres told AS back in September. “But I was clear from the first moment what I wanted, and so I decided calmly.
According to reports, Tottenham agreed a £46 million deal with Villarreal in mid-August, only for Torres to rebuff their advances.
“I decided that the best thing for me was to continue at Villarreal. We have many challenges this season that I am passionate about. It didn’t take long for me to decide.
“This is only the fourth time Villarreal (have) reached the Champions League, which shows how hard it is (to quality). It was a dream to play the competition with my lifelong club.”
Can Villarreal reach the Champions League final?
Even in Torres’ wildest dreams, however, he probably couldn’t have envisaged hammering Juventus – Champions League finalists as recently as 2017 – 3-0 away from home, only the second European goal of his entire career the icing on top of a very tasty cake.
In a week in which Declan Rice inspired West Ham United to a famous European triumph of their own, coming from behind to beat continental specialists Sevilla, both he and Villarreal-born Torres should be an inspiration to any young player dreaming of glory at his boyhood club.
Dreaming of nights like this on the European stage.
Villarreal are now just 180 minutes away from reaching the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since that legendary side of 2005/06, galvanised brilliantly by the iconic Juan Roman Riquelme.
As for Tottenham, nights like this are now but a fading memory. This is a side who, in the space of two years, went from a Champions League final to a group-stage exit in the UEFA Conference League after all.
“(Torres) is something extraordinary,” beams Jose Benlloch, the proud mayor of Villarreal (Marca).
Torres has made the town – his town – very proud indeed.
“He is an excellent ambassador of our way of being. He is a humble person, he walks down the street, talks to everyone, lives here in the city. We have seen him grow up.
“He is an example of humility and hard work.”
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