Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres celebrates his 33rd birthday today, so everyone here at Shoot! would like to wish the Spanish forward many happy returns!

Torres started his career with the Spanish club all the way back in 1995 when he joined the youth system aged 11, and worked his way up to make his professional debut for the side in 2001.

He went on to play 244 times in his first spell at Atletico, netting 91 goals, before moving to Liverpool in 2007, where he made a stellar start to life in the Premier League by scoring 33 goals in just 46 games his first season under Rafael Benitez.

The 33-year-old continued to impress, going on to score 81 goals in 142 games for the Reds before sealing a £50 million move to Premier League rivals Chelsea in January 2011, which at the time made him the sixth most expensive footballer in history.

However, it didn’t really work out for the Spaniard at Stamford Bridge, netting just once in his first 18 games for the club, but he did win both the Champions League and Europa League with the Blues, appearing in both finals and actually netting the crucial opener in their 2-1 win over Benfica in the Europa League final.

Nevertheless, Torres rarely reproduced his best form at Chelsea and went on loan to AC Milan during the 2014/15 campaign, although cut that short to rejoin Atletico in January 2015, before making the move permanent at the start of the current campaign.

Torres also had a hugely impressive international career, winning the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championships in 2008 and 2012 with Spain, and went on to net 38 times in 110 games for his country, although hasn’t appeared for them since their 2014 World Cup disappointment.

So, with the striker celebrating his 33rd birthday today, we at Shoot! thought we’d take a look back at his career through pictures…

Atletico Madrid (1995-2007)

Torres began his career at Atletico all the way back in 1995 as an 11-year-old, before working his way up to the first team ready for his debut in 2001.

The striker helped the club win promotion to La Liga in 2002 and then became an even greater part of the side that established themselves in the Spanish top-flight, going on to net 91 times in 244 games for the club before leaving for Liverpool in 2007.

Here, Torres is pictured scoring against English Football League side MK Dons in a pre-season friendly back in 2005.

Move to Liverpool (July 2007)

After a fine time in the Spanish capital, Torres sealed a move to Premier League giants Liverpool in the summer of 2007.

The striker was brought in by manager Rafael Benitez, as the Reds boss looked to bolster his squad after finishing runners-up in the Champions League in 2006, and finishing third in the Premier League.

Here, they are both pictured at Torres’ unveiling.

Stunning first season at Anfield (2007/08)

Torres continued where he left off at Atletico for Liverpool.

The 33-year-old scored 24 Premier League goals and nine in other competitions to help the Reds secure another top four finish, as well as reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Torres finished behind Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for the Golden Boot, and can here be seen scoring against Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with Benitez’s men winning 4-2 at Anfield to progress 5-3 on aggregate. They then lost to Chelsea in the semis.

Euro 2008 success

The striker’s excellent form for his club sides earned him his Spanish debut in 2003, and he lifted his first piece of silverware with his country five years later at the European Championships.

Torres went in Euro 2008 off the back of a stunning first season at Anfield, and netted once for Luis Aragones side against Sweden in the group stages to help Spain reach the final, where it was Torres who had the big say as they beat Germany 1-0

The 33-year-old scored the only goal of the game (above) after 33 minutes to secure Spain only their second European crown, and Torres’ first major trophy.

World Cup 2010 victory

After two more excellent seasons for Liverpool, Torres was a key part of the Spain side that secured a major double by adding the 2010 World Cup title to their 2008 European Championship crown.

Vincente Del Bosque’s men lost their opening group match 1-0 to Switzerland, but progressed thanks to wins over Honduras and Chile.

And then they edged past Portugal, Paraguay, and Germany 1-0 to reach the final, where an Andres Iniesta strike four minutes from the end of extra-time secured them a 1-0 success over Netherlands.

It was the first time Spain had ever won the World Cup, and Torres can be seen here lifting the trophy following their nail-biting win in the final.

FA Cup/Champions League double with Chelsea (2011/12)

After three-and-a-half excellent seasons at Liverpool, Torres made a £50 million move to Chelsea in January 2011, which at the time set the record for a British transfer (that has since been overtaken by Paul Pogba, Angel di Maria, and Kevin De Bruyne).

And although he scored just once in the remainder of the 2010/11 season, despite appearing 18 times for Chelsea, he played his part in their incredible FA Cup/Champions League double in 2011/12.

Torres scored twice in six games to help the Blues win the domestic trophy, where they beat his former club Liverpool 2-1 in the final, and he of course netted that crucial aggregate winner at the Nou Camp to help Chelsea knock Barcelona out of the competition at the semi-final stage.

That was one of three goals he scored in Europe that term, and here he can be seen holding aloft the Champions League trophy after Roberto Di Matteo’s men brilliantly beat Bayern Munich in the final.

Europa League title (2012/13)

Torres added another European title to his CV as he helped Chelsea win the Europa League under Rafael Benitez in 2012/13.

The Spanish striker scored nine goals in 16 games in Europe that season, with the Blues finishing third in their Champions League group, before going on to beat Sparta Prague, Steaua Bucharest, Rubin Kazan, and Basel to reach the final, where they faced Portuguese giants Benfica.

And Torres once again proved his big-game credentials with the opening goal (above) as the Blues won 2-1 on the night to secure back-to-back European titles, and one which turned out to be Torres’ last in England.

Chelsea struggles and return to Atletico

It was clear throughout his time at Chelsea, despite winning three major trophies, that Torres struggled – he scored just 45 times in 172 games for the Blues.

Thus, it was only a matter of time before he moved away, and Italian giants AC Milan acquired his services on loan at the start of the 2014/15 season, and looked set to make the move permanent in the winter before Torres returned to Atletico on a two-year loan deal.

The 33-year-old made his move back to the Spanish side permanent in the summer of 2016, with one of his finest moments coming back in April last year, where he scored the opener (above) in their Champions League clash with Barcelona in the Nou Camp, although got sent off not longer after.

Nonetheless, despite losing the game, Diego Simeone’s side reached the final last season, before losing to rivals Real Madrid on penalties in Milan.