Former Chelsea and Liverpool striker Fernando Torres proud to have ‘won the respect of world football’ ahead of final game

Former Liverpool and Chelsea striker Fernando Torres reflected on his career in football as he prepared to play his final match as a professional on Friday.

The 35-year-old will bring the curtain down on a glittering career in Japan after his side Sagan Tosu side face Vissel Kobe.

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Torres, the former Spain international, joined Liverpool in 2007 and became a talisman for the Reds, netting 65 goals before sealing a contentious £50million move to Chelsea in 2011.

"It's been an amazing 18 years, more than 18 years playing football," Torres said ahead of his final match on Friday.

"I won many things. I won the respect of world football, which is the most important thing for me, and now I have only one game left.

"So, I will make sure that I will enjoy from the first until the last minute and hopefully we can get the three points, which are very important for us, and hopefully I can score my last goal at home in front of Sagan Tosu fans.

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"It's going to be a really special game for me, but it's not going to change the way I feel about my career. It's been fantastic. Much better than I could expect when I was a kid. So, I'm really grateful for what I did and really grateful to all my fans around the world."

At club level Torres was most successful at Chelsea, winning the Champions League and Europa League with the Blues.

With Spain, he won the World Cup as well as two European Championships in an international career where he made 110 appearances, scoring 38 goals.

And the forward says he has no regrets about his time in football and feels enriched after playing out the final year of his career in Japan.

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"I always wanted to end my career playing football," he said.

"So I am really looking forward to play on 23 August, to be on the pitch alongside my team-mates, to run with them, to fight, and to try to win the match, because that's what I'm going to miss the most, to compete.