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On this day in LaLiga history

football04 January 2021 12:06
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Ferran Torres © Gallo Images

A look back at some classic goals,?debuts,?players?and moments from this week in LaLiga history...

4th January: ‘El Niño’ Torres makes an emotional return to Atletico de Madrid (2015)

40 000 Atletico de Madrid fans of all ages were at the Vicente Calderon on 4 January 2015 to welcome rojiblanco legend Fernando Torres back to his boyhood club, years after leaving for successful spells in England with Liverpool and Chelsea.

The older supporters present recalled the impact ‘El Niño’ – ‘the kid’ – had as an angel-faced teenager when the team was struggling through the early 2000s, while younger fans had cheered his contribution to Spain’s Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012 victories.

Just a few weeks later all Atleti fans were celebrating the now-30 year old scoring his first goals in eight years in an Atletico jersey to eliminate Real Madrid from the Copa del Rey. In total, Torres scored 103 goals in 281 LaLiga games across his two spells with Atleti and, having recently completed his coaching badges, is expected back at the club sooner or later.

4th January: Zidane unveiled as Real Madrid's first ‘galactico’ coach (2016)

Exactly 12 months later it was Real Madrid fans who were cheering as Zinedine Zidane was presented as the new first team coach at the Bernabeu.

Former playing galactico Zidane was promoted from coach of the club’s Castilla youth team to replace Rafa Benitez, with Blancos president Florentino Perez telling a press conference that the 1998 Ballon D’Or winner and 2002 Champions League final goalscorer was “one of the greatest figures in football history.”

Nobody yet knew that Zidane was also a top top coach, but a few days later he got off to a flying start with a 5-0 cruise past RC Deportivo in his first LaLiga game in charge. Five months later he had guided the team to the first of three consecutive Champions league trophies. Now in his second spell as Real Madrid coach, he led them to a second LaLiga title just last season.

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