UEFA.com wonderkid: Ferrán Torres, the new Marco Asensio
Friday, February 23, 2018
Article summary
"He's the complete package technically," Spain Under-17 coach Santi Denia said of Ferrán Torres, who is starting to make first-team headway at Valencia aged 17.
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Name: Ferrán Torres
Club: Valencia
Position: winger
Nationality: Spanish
Age: 17 (born: 29 February 2000)
Preferred foot: left
Height: 184cm
They say ...
"Ferrán Torres is a special player. His potential as a winger is tremendous, and he can go as far as he wants. He's got all he needs to reach the very top. Speed, ability… he's the complete package technically. He is combative, but what he has above all is the pace and directness in one-on-ones that modern footballers need."
Santi Denia, Spain Under-17 coach
"He's powerful, quick, steady with the ball when he runs with it at his feet and strong in the air. He's unpredicatable. When he's running with the ball at his feet he can go on inside or outside his man because he is two-footed. He can cross, finish and shoot."
José Giménez, Valencia academy director of recruitment
Story so far ...
Born during a leap year, on 29 February, Ferrán was seemingly set to be something a bit different from the off. Likened to Marco Asensio, 2017 was a big year for the Valencia-born winger, who helped Spain win the UEFA European Under-17 Championship and then reach the final of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in October. He capped off a memorable 12 months by becoming the first player born this century to play in the Liga when he came off the bench in December's 2-1 defeat to Eibar.
Call him ...
'The new Marco Asensio'
He says ...
"I was just playing futsal at school with my friends, and they told me after the match that Valencia wanted me to join them for a trial. It was a beautiful moment."
"David Villa is my idol. Right now at Valencia, [Gonçalo] Guedes is a reference point for me because I play in a very similar way to him and I think he’s a brilliant player."