My winner for the PFA title: Fernando "El Nino" Torres

The Spanish Savior, "El Nino" an unpredictable, destructive weather pattern. Fernando Torres is my BPL player of the year. I know that many will disagree and believe that a certain Portuguese deserves the title...but I base my opinion on the following facts.

The BPL over the past 3 yrs has attracted the most talented players in football. This season is no different as Liverpool's Manager Rafa Benitez opened the war chest and purchased Athletico Madrid's young captain and forward Fernando Torres. The 24 yr old was already a household name in the La Liga making 176 appearances for Athletico and scoring 76 goals. One would expect that he would score a few goals in the Premiereship but not take it captive. I remember watching Torres during his time in Spain. He was a tall quick player that seemed to play more on the wing than in a central position. I was a fan all the same and expected him to stay in Spain and develop a partnership with the young Argentine Aguerro. This was not to be, Torres was purchased in the summer for a whopping 26 million pounds and the rest is history.

Torres is what a perfect centre forward should look like. He is tall (6 ft, 1) and physically depth for rough tackles. His height and strength make it difficult for defenders to push him off the ball and allows him to open spaces for his teamates He has pace and maintains good control on the ball. His first touch is well mastered and he has above par aerial technique. Torres pace is incredible, he is able to clutch on to a pass and push past his markers with ease. The ball ending in the back of the net is often time the end result. His shot selection is superb, he has become one of the few players that can create a shot where there is none, as he has done facing Everton earlier this year. Henry comes to mind when I think of similar players. Torres also has hindsight to fall in place or pass the ball to a team mate who is in an open position.

Torres faced a number of challenges on and off the pitch this season. These challenges contributed to me giving him this title. Torres first had the challenge of adopting to a foriegn country, language and culture. Secondly he had to adapt to the pace and physical game in England. These two challenges have affected many new players in England and they usually need at least a season to acclimatize (Evra comes to mind). If these challenges were not enough Torres had to push through two other pressing challenges. When Torres arrived in Anfield he soon found out that he was not entitled to a starting place due to Rafa Benitez infamous rotation policy. This meant that on any given match day Rafa would bench players even if showed good form. Torres this season was sometimes left on the bench because of this policy and it would eventually hurt Liverpool's chances of clutching the Premiereship Title. The final challenge faced by the young man was to ignore the constant arguements between his Manager and the club's owners which at one time began to affect some players on the field.

With this being said Torres has tackled all his obstacles in his debut season. He seems to be comfortable at his new home, has adapted to the English game and has already become a legend in the eyes of the Liverpool supporters. Torres in his debut season has changed his game a bit. He no longer looks like a forward moonlighting as a midfielder. He is now more central and looks for delivery from the midfield. The result of this transition has lead him to score 30 goals in 43 appearances. This tally makes him the leading Liverpool scorer in all competitions ever. Bear in mind that he has not played in some matches due to the rotaton policy.

He has scored three hat tricks so far this season. The first on Feb 23 at home to Middlesborough and then another in March against West Ham. Torres has also become the first Liverpool player since Robbie Fowler to surpass 20 goals in a single season. He has also managed to score 5 goals in the Champions League and has the opportunity to score more next week. Torres has also began to form a great partnership with midfielder captain Steven Gerrard that has entertained fans and led to jaw dropping passes and goals. Torres also is present in big games, he has scored against the two of the top four teams in the league (Arsenal, Chelsea) and has scored in a debut derby against Everton.

It is incredible that one has to overcome so much challenges and experiences and still has such a tremendous impact in his team. Torres alone holds 22 of Liverpools 62 goals this season in the BPL. He has broken records and is still in position to bring Liverpool a Champions league trophy at the end of the season. For a player to maintain focus in a club that has been shrouded with so much controversy and still continue to play at such a high calibre in his debut season I truly believe he deserves to be the PFA Player of the year. None of the other nominations have been such a contributing factor to thier clubs survival. He has realized he is Liverpool's savior and has played the role to his best of ability, I salute you " El Nino".