Sergio Torres (footballer, born 1981)

Last updated

Sergio Torres
Sergio Torres.jpg
Torres at Dartford in February 2017.
Personal information
Full name Sergio Raul Torres
Date of birth (1981-07-11) 11 July 1981 (age 42)
Place of birth Mar del Plata, Argentina
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) [1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Quilmes de Mar del Plata
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2001–2002 Quilmes de Mar del Plata 6 (0)
2002–2004 Club Atlético Banfield (Mar del Plata) 8 (1)
2004 Molesey
2004–2005 Basingstoke Town 61 (8)
2005–2008 Wycombe Wanderers 88 (6)
2008–2010 Peterborough United 24 (1)
2009–2010 → Lincoln City (loan) 8 (1)
2010–2014 Crawley Town 122 (7)
2014–2017 Whitehawk 101 (4)
2017–2020 Eastbourne Borough 86 (5)
Managerial career
2019 Eastbourne Borough (caretaker)
2019–2021 Eastbourne Borough (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:30, 5 November 2019 (UTC)

Sergio Raul Torres (born 11 July 1981) is an Argentine football coach and former player who was most recently the assistant manager for Eastbourne Borough in National League South. He holds an Italian passport, since his grandmother was Italian. During his playing career he played in his Argentinian homeland as well as in the Football League for Wycombe Wanderers, Peterborough United and Crawley Town.

Contents

Club career

Early career

Torres was born in Mar del Plata. [2] After a two-month trial with Boca Juniors aged 15, [3] Torres began his career in Argentina at Quilmes de Mar del Plata and later Club Atlético Banfield in his native city of Mar del Plata playing part-time while working in the family brick factory and training to become a PE teacher. [4] [5] [6] In November 2003, he decided to leave the club and fund his own trip to England in the hope of playing professionally; [3] Torres arrived in England with just £180 and stayed in a shared a house in Norbury, London owned by his agent. [5] [6] Then Brighton & Hove Albion manager Mark McGhee offered him a two-week trial after seeing a highlights video, though he was rejected with McGhee telling Torres that he "would never make it in England". [3] [7]

He subsequently signed for Isthmian League side Molesey in late 2003 alongside fellow Argentinian Cristian Levis after a friend put them into contact with the Molesey owner. [8] With Molesey unable to pay Torres any wages, manager Steve Beeks arranged a trial for Torres and Levis at Basingstoke Town, who they signed for in February 2004 after two months at Molesey. [8] [3] [9] While at Basingstoke, Torres worked at Boots, stacking shelves in order to earn a living and cycled to work. [7] [10] He and Levis lived with a supporter of the club for four months, shortly after he was married. [5] He scored 4 goals in 20 league appearances for Basingstoke in the 2003–04 season, whilst he scored twice in 38 games across the 2004–05 season. [11]

Wycombe Wanderers

In July 2005, Basingstoke Town played in a 7–2 pre-season friendly defeat against Wycombe Wanderers, during which Torres impressed then Wycombe manager John Gorman, who stated that he thought that he could be "worth a look in training". [12] [13] He was offered a two-year professional contract the following month. [7] [14] He made his debut for Wycombe as a 58th-minute substitute in a 0–0 League Two draw with Cheltenham Town on 29 August 2005. [15] [16] He received the man-of-the-match award on his first start for the club in a 1–0 home victory over Barnet on 17 September 2005, [3] [15] before scoring his first goal for the club on 14 January 2006 with the second of a 2–0 home victory over Notts County. [15] [17] He suffered an ankle injury in February 2006 that ruled him out for the rest of the season, despite the initial belief that he would be ruled out for just two weeks. [18] He scored once in 29 appearances for Wycombe across the 2005–06 season. [15] Without Torres in the side, Wycombe qualified for the League Two play-offs but were eliminated in the semi-finals to Cheltenham Town following a 2–1 aggregate defeat. [19]

In September 2006, Torres signed a one-year extension to his contract at Wycombe, keeping him at the club until summer 2008. [20] He suffered a knee injury in September 2006, which limited his involvement in the first team that season. [18] He returned to first-team action on 6 January 2007 as a substitute in a 1–1 league draw at home to Rochdale. [21] He made 23 appearances across the 2006–07 season. [21]

Torres scored 5 goals in 46 appearances across the 2007–08 season as the club finished second in League Two and qualified for the League Two play-offs, though the club were eliminated in the play-off semi-final after a 2–1 aggregate defeat to Stockport County. [22] [23]

Peterborough United

In July 2008, Torres and Wycombe team-mate Russell Martin joined League One side Peterborough United for a joint fee of £200,000, with Torres valued at £150,000. [5] [24] [25] He made his debut for the club on 9 August 2008 as a substitute in a 1–0 League One defeat away to Southend United. [26] He scored his first goal for the club on 3 March 2009 with the second Peterborough goal of a 3–2 away win at Leyton Orient. [26] The club were promoted to the Championship at the end of the season following a second-placed finish in League One, [27] with Torres having scored once in 18 appearances. [26]

On 17 September 2009, he joined Lincoln City on a one-month loan. [28] He scored his first goal for Lincoln on 3 October 2009 with the only goal of a 1–0 home win over Aldershot. [29] He returned to Peterborough the following month after the expiry of his loan deal. [30] He returned to Lincoln on 28 October 2009 on a loan until the end of the season. [31] He suffered an ankle injury in November 2009 which ruled him out for 6 weeks. [32] He returned to Peterborough prior to the end of the season and made 9 appearances without scoring, whilst he scored twice in 9 matches across his two spells on loan at Lincoln. [29] He was transfer listed again by Peterborough at the end of the 2009–10 season. [33]

Torres stated that his time at Peterborough "did not work out the way I wanted", and that he considered returning to Argentina and consulted a sports psychologist after not being selected or being played out of position. [34] He was transfer listed by the club at the end of the season following their promotion. [35]

Crawley Town

Torres in April 2011 Torres, Sergio.jpg
Torres in April 2011

In July 2010, Torres joined Crawley Town on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee reported to be around £100,000 by BBC Sport, a then record fee for the club. [36] [37] [38] In the 2010–11 season, Crawley were promoted to League Two, the fourth tier of English football, for the first time in their history after winning the Conference Premier with a record 105 points. [39] [40] The club also reached the fifth round of the FA Cup where they lost 1–0 to Premier League club Manchester United, though Torres did score the winning goal in their 2–1 fourth round victory over Championship side Derby County. [5] [41] [42] Torres made 45 appearances for Crawley across the 2010–11 season and scored 6 goals. [43]

Crawley achieved their second consecutive promotion to League One at the end of the 2011–12 season after finishing third in League Two. [44] He scored 4 goals in 46 appearances for the club across the 2011–12 season. [45] At the end of the season, Crawley took up an option to extend Torres' contract. [46]

Torres made 28 appearances for Crawley across the 2012–13 without scoring. [47]

At the end of the 2013–14, Torres was released by the club [48] following a season in which he made 24 appearances without scoring. [49]

Whitehawk

Torres playing for Whitehawk against Dartford in 2016 Sergio Torres Whitehawk captain.jpg
Torres playing for Whitehawk against Dartford in 2016

In June 2014 Torres signed for Conference South side Whitehawk, citing his desire to remain living in Brighton and the lack of offers from Football League teams as the reasons for dropping down three divisions. [50] The club's owners also offered him an office job with KSD Group. [2] Whilst at Whitehawk, the club reached the second round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history in 2015.[ citation needed ]

Torres was appointed club captain at Whitehawk for the 2015–2016 season.[ citation needed ] After helping the club reach the league play-offs for two consecutive seasons, Torres was named in the National League South team of the season in 2016, alongside teammates Danny Mills and Nick Arnold. [51]

Eastbourne Borough

On 7 June 2017, Torres joined fellow National League South side Eastbourne Borough. [52] Torres left Eastbourne on 14 August 2021, after he decided to relocated to Spain with his family. [53]

Personal life

Torres lives in Brighton with his wife Lena and his two daughters, Luna and Nala. [2] His wife is Russian, though he first met her whilst she was working in a hotel in Germany where Wycombe Wanderers were playing on a pre-season tour, before she moved to England to study for a masters degree. [2] [54] He is of Italian descent through his grandmother, and holds an Italian passport. [7]

Torres is a supporter of Boca Juniors, having trialled with the club aged 15. [55] [3] In 2013, he published his autobiography with co-author Juan Manuel Lopez, titled: The Sergio Torres Story: From The Brick Factory to Old Trafford. [5] [56] [57] A biographical film of his career titled The Unknown Torres was subsequently produced by filmmaker Jasper Spanjaart. [58] [6]

Torres is a close friend of current Southampton manager and former Scotland international defender Russell Martin, whom he played alongside at Wycombe Wanderers and Peterborough United. [6] [59] Torres coaches at the Russell Martin Academy in Brighton, run by Martin. [60] [61]

Career statistics

As of match played 6 August 2019
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup League Cup OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Basingstoke Town 2003–04 [11] Isthmian League
Premier Division		204—204
2004–05 [11] Conference South 382—382
2004–05 [9] Conference South3200—0032
Total

61!!8!!!!!!0!!0!!!!!!61!!8

Wycombe Wanderers 2005–06 [15] League Two 24110103 [lower-alpha 1] 0291
2006–07 [21] League Two200003000230
2007–08 [22] League Two445101000465
Total886205030986
Peterborough United 2008–09 [26] League One 151201000181
2009–10 [29] Championship 900000—90
Total241201000271
Lincoln City (loan) 2009–10 [29] League Two8111000092
Crawley Town 2010–11 [43] Conference Premier 39472—2 [lower-alpha 2] 0486
2011–12 [45] League Two38350211 [lower-alpha 1] 0464
2012–13 [47] League One23020201 [lower-alpha 1] 0280
2013–14 [49] League One22010001 [lower-alpha 1] 0240
Total1227152415014610
Whitehawk 2014–15 [62] Conference South34100—3 [lower-alpha 3] 0371
2015–16 [62] National League South 35240—2 [lower-alpha 4] 0412
2016–17 [62] National League South32120—2 [lower-alpha 2] 0361
Total10146000701144
Eastbourne Borough 2017–18 [62] National League South42421—4 [lower-alpha 5] 0485
2018–19 [62] National League South31130—5 [lower-alpha 6] 0391
2019–20 [62] National League South13020—00130
Total8657100901006
Career total4903233410124055737
  1. 1 2 3 4 Appearances in Football League Trophy
  2. 1 2 Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
  3. ↑ Appearance(s) in Conference South play-offs
  4. ↑ Appearance(s) in National League South play-offs
  5. ↑ Two appearances in FA Trophy, two in Sussex Senior Cup
  6. ↑ Three appearances in FA Trophy, two in Sussex Senior Cup

Honours

Peterborough United
Crawley Town

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References

  1. ↑ "Sergio Torres". Crawley Town FC. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Sergio Torres ready to write a new chapter with Whitehawk". thefa.com. The Football Association. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Broadbent, Rick (3 October 2005). "From Boca Juniors to Wycombe (via Basingstoke and Boots)". The Times. ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  4. ↑ "El futbolista marplatense con un documental sobre su vida". Noticias de Mar del Plata (in Spanish). 5 March 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Osborne, Chris (27 December 2013). "Sergio Torres: How brick maker realised Manchester United dream". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Phillips, Johnny (13 April 2019). "Kicking a ball, and chasing a dream around the world". Express & Star. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Ronay, Barney (1 February 2008). "Wycombe's Maradona is in a league of his own". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  8. 1 2 Seckington, Kaylee (19 November 2017). "'Molesey was massive for me' admits Sergio Torres". SurreyLive. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  9. 1 2 "Sergio Torres". basingstokefc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
  10. ↑ Peters, Dave (25 January 2008). "'I just had an aeroplane ticket and a lot of hope'". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 "Sergio Torres profile". aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk. Aylesbury United F.C. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  12. ↑ Peters, Dave (29 July 2005). "Blues stoke up the hopes with a magnificent seven". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  13. ↑ Peters, Dave (1 August 2005). "Argentinian watched". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  14. ↑ Peters, Dave (27 August 2005). "Jet-setting Argentinian lands his dream move". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 "Games played by Sergio Torres in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  16. ↑ Peters, Dave (2 September 2005). "Torres realises his big dream". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  17. ↑ "Wycombe 2 Notts County 0". Bucks Free Press. 18 January 2006. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  18. 1 2 Peters, Dave (24 November 2006). "Lambert backs Torres". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  19. ↑ "Cheltenham 0-0 Wycombe (agg 2-1)". BBC Sport. 18 May 2006. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  20. ↑ "Torres signs new Wycombe contract". BBC Sport. 26 September 2006. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  21. 1 2 3 "Games played by Sergio Torres in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  22. 1 2 "Games played by Sergio Torres in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  23. ↑ "Wembley dream ends in tears". Bucks Free Press. 17 May 2008. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  24. ↑ Swann, Alan (10 July 2008). "Torres Signs For Posh". Peterborough Evening Telegraph. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  25. ↑ "Blues get £100,000 for Torres". Bucks Free Press. 14 July 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "Games played by Sergio Torres in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  27. 1 2 "Peterborough win seals promotion". BBC Sport. 25 April 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  28. ↑ "Torres joins Lincoln from Posh". BBC Sport. 17 September 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  29. 1 2 3 4 "Games played by Sergio Torres in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  30. ↑ "Imps extend Watts stay". Sky Sports. 19 October 2009. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  31. ↑ "Imps seal Torres deal". Sky Sports. 28 October 2009. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  32. ↑ "Imps' Torres faces six weeks out". BBC Sport. 18 November 2009. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  33. ↑ "Peterborough United transfer-list five players". BBC Sport. 5 May 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  34. ↑ "Posh almost forced Torres to quit". Peterborough Evening Telegraph. 30 August 2013. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  35. ↑ "A dozen listed by Posh". Sky Sports. 13 May 2009.
  36. ↑ "Torres becomes a Red". Crawley Town F.C. 8 July 2010. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
  37. ↑ "Crawley Town sign Peterborough United's Sergio Torres". BBC Sport. 8 July 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
  38. ↑ Talbot, Bruce (9 July 2010). "Torres joins Reds for record fee". The Argus. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  39. 1 2 "Tamworth 0–3 Crawley Town". BBC Sport. 9 April 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  40. ↑ Dunlavy, Chris (23 June 2020). "When Crawley Town succeeded in 'Project Promotion'". The Non-League Paper. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  41. ↑ Owen, Brian (9 January 2021). "Ten years on, Sergio hopes to see more Crawley glory (and to talk to his idol)". The Argus. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  42. ↑ "Crawley Town 2-1 Derby". BBC Sport. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  43. 1 2 "Games played by Sergio Torres in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  44. 1 2 "Brewster hails Crawley promotion". BBC Sport. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  45. 1 2 "Games played by Sergio Torres in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  46. ↑ Owen, Brian (8 May 2012). "Mills goes in Reds shake-up". The Argus. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  47. 1 2 "Games played by Sergio Torres in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  48. ↑ Griggs, Howard (5 May 2014). "Crawley release 11 players". The Argus. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  49. 1 2 "Games played by Sergio Torres in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  50. ↑ Summers, Henry (4 July 2014). "Hawks sign Sergio Torres!". whitehawkfc.com. Whitehawk F.C. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  51. ↑ Harris, Tom (11 June 2016). "Hawks Trio Make Team of the Year". whitehawkfc.com. Whitehawk F.C. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  52. ↑ "Howell Makes First New Signing for 2017/2018 Season". ebfc.co.uk. Eastbourne Borough F.C. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  53. ↑ Scott, Anthony (1 August 2021). "Torres bids Adiós". Eastbourne Borough F.C. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  54. ↑ "Sergio Torres fears Brexit could end the fairy tale careers of overseas footballers in Britain". The Independent. 28 December 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
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  57. ↑ "Story of Argentinian ace Sergio Torres ready for the big screen". The Non-League Paper. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  58. ↑ "Sergio Torres career documented in new film". The Non-League Paper. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  59. ↑ "Russell returns for Sergio film screening". wycombewanderers.co.uk. Wycombe Wanderers F.C. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
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  61. ↑ Owen, Brian (20 February 2017). "College doors open thanks to Martin - and there's a big day at Norwich in prospect too". The Argus. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  62. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "S. Torres: Summary". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
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