Curro Torres
Encyclopedia
Cristóbal Emilio Torres Ruiz, aka Curro Torres (born 27 December 1976 in Ahlen
, North Rhine-Westphalia
), is a Spanish
footballer who plays as a right defender.
In his professional career, whose later years were blighted by several injuries, he represented mainly Valencia CF
, helping the team to two La Liga
championships (playing in a total of 119 games in that category over the course of eight seasons, scoring once) and the 2004 UEFA Cup
.
Torres represented Spain
at the 2002 World Cup
.
, West Germany
. His parents hailed from Granada, and emigrated for working purposes.
When their son was still an infant, they moved back to Spain
, settling in Catalonia
.
in 1997–98. He was a regular with the B team for two seasons, before he was loaned out to Recreativo de Huelva
and CD Tenerife
in the next two years. In the latter, alongside Mista and Luis García
, he was a key member of the Canary Islands
outfit, coached by Rafael Benítez
, that won promotion to the top flight
.
Torres then returned to Valencia, where he proceeded to become a key member in the teams that won the national league twice and the 2003–04 UEFA Cup (again under Benítez). From early 2005 onwards, however, he would be severely hindered by injuries, although he appeared in 17 contests in 2006–07, mainly as a left-back due to Emiliano Moretti
's forced absence.
In 2007–08, Torres was loaned to league newcomers Real Murcia
, where his physical problems resurfaced (two league appearances). Upon Murcia's relegation, he returned to Valencia, being restricted to two UEFA Cup contests during the season, with even midfielder
Hedwiges Maduro
being preferred as Miguel
's backup. He left Valencia at the end of the campaign.
On July 27, 2009, Torres moved to Gimnàstic de Tarragona
in the second division
, playing no minutes whatsoever in the season (league or cup), as Nàstic finished in 18th position. In January of the following year, after the loan acquisitions of Borja Viguera
and Álex Bergantiños by the club, the 34-year old's contract was cancelled.
on 14 November 2001, in a friendly match in Huelva
with Mexico
(1–0 win), and was a member of 2002 FIFA World Cup
squad, where he appeared against South Africa
in the group stage.
Ahlen
Ahlen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the District of Warendorf and is economically the most important town in that district. Ahlen is part of the larger Münster region, and of the historic Münsterland area....
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
), is a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who plays as a right defender.
In his professional career, whose later years were blighted by several injuries, he represented mainly Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, helping the team to two La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
championships (playing in a total of 119 games in that category over the course of eight seasons, scoring once) and the 2004 UEFA Cup
2004 UEFA Cup Final
The 2004 UEFA Cup Final was played on May 19, 2004 at Gothenburg, between Valencia CF of Spain and Olympique de Marseille of France. Valencia won the match 2-0 thanks to goals from Vicente and Mista...
.
Torres represented Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
at the 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
.
Early years
Torres was born in AhlenAhlen
Ahlen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the District of Warendorf and is economically the most important town in that district. Ahlen is part of the larger Münster region, and of the historic Münsterland area....
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. His parents hailed from Granada, and emigrated for working purposes.
When their son was still an infant, they moved back to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, settling in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
.
Club career
Torres began his career with UDA Gramenet before joining Valencia CFValencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
in 1997–98. He was a regular with the B team for two seasons, before he was loaned out to Recreativo de Huelva
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 23 December 1889, it is the oldest football team in Spain, and currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estadio Nuevo Colombino, which has a...
and CD Tenerife
CD Tenerife
Club Deportivo Tenerife, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in Tenerife . Founded in 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López, with a 24,000-seat capacity.-History:Club Deportivo Tenerife was founded in...
in the next two years. In the latter, alongside Mista and Luis García
Luis Javier García Sanz
Luis Javier García Sanz , known as Luis García, is a Spanish footballer who plays for Puebla F.C. in Mexico, mainly as a left winger....
, he was a key member of the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
outfit, coached by Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
, that won promotion to the top flight
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
.
Torres then returned to Valencia, where he proceeded to become a key member in the teams that won the national league twice and the 2003–04 UEFA Cup (again under Benítez). From early 2005 onwards, however, he would be severely hindered by injuries, although he appeared in 17 contests in 2006–07, mainly as a left-back due to Emiliano Moretti
Emiliano Moretti
Emiliano Moretti is an Italian football defender, who currently plays for Genoa C.F.C..-Club career:Moretti started his career with local club Lodigiani, and in 2000 transferred to AC Fiorentina. He made his Serie A debut in March 2001, and was a member of the team that won the 2001 Coppa Italia....
's forced absence.
In 2007–08, Torres was loaned to league newcomers Real Murcia
Real Murcia
Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the region of Murcia. Founded in 1908, it currently plays in the second division, playing home matches at Estadio Nueva Condomina, which can hold 33,045 spectators....
, where his physical problems resurfaced (two league appearances). Upon Murcia's relegation, he returned to Valencia, being restricted to two UEFA Cup contests during the season, with even midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
Hedwiges Maduro
Hedwiges Maduro
Hedwiges Martinez-Maduro is a Dutch footballer who plays for Valencia CF in Spain.Mainly a central defender, he can also operate as a defensive midfielder, where he started his career at Ajax Amsterdam.-Ajax:...
being preferred as Miguel
Miguel Monteiro
Luís Miguel Brito Garcia Monteiro, simply Miguel , OIH , is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Valencia CF in Spain, mainly as a right defender.-Early years / Benfica:...
's backup. He left Valencia at the end of the campaign.
On July 27, 2009, Torres moved to Gimnàstic de Tarragona
Gimnàstic de Tarragona
Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, usually referred to as Nàstic, is a Spanish sports club based in Tarragona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Its football team currently plays in Segunda División....
in the second division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
, playing no minutes whatsoever in the season (league or cup), as Nàstic finished in 18th position. In January of the following year, after the loan acquisitions of Borja Viguera
Borja Viguera
Borja Viguera Manzanares is a Spanish footballer who plays for Gimnàstic de Tarragona on loan from Real Sociedad, as a striker.-External links:* ** *...
and Álex Bergantiños by the club, the 34-year old's contract was cancelled.
International career
Courtesy of solid performances whilst at Valencia, Torres made his debut for SpainSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
on 14 November 2001, in a friendly match in Huelva
Huelva
Huelva is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. It is located along the Gulf of Cadiz coast, at the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers. According to the 2010 census, the city has a population of 149,410 inhabitants. The...
with Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
(1–0 win), and was a member of 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
squad, where he appeared against South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
in the group stage.
Honours
- ValenciaValencia CFValencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
:- Spanish LeagueLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 2001–02, 2003–04 - UEFA Cup: 2003–04
- UEFA Super Cup: 20042004 UEFA Super CupThe 2004 UEFA Super Cup was a UEFA-sponsored association football match between Porto of Portugal and Valencia of Spain, held on 27 August 2004 at the Stade Louis II in Monaco. The match was the 29th annual UEFA Super Cup contested between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup...
- Spanish League