Fernando Torres reveals Steven Gerrard convinced him to leave Liverpool

Fernando Torres has revealed that Steven Gerrard encouraged him to think about himself, leading to his £50m exit from Liverpool.

The Spanish striker enjoyed a prolific time at Anfield after joining the club from Atletico Madrid in 2007, scoring 81 goals during his time there.

However in January 2011 Chelsea moved in with a £50m off for the striker, leaving Torres with a decision to make. That he chose to leave had much to do with Gerrard's advice.

"There's one player that influenced me above anyone else and that's Gerrard. He changed my career, my ambition, wanting to win, he changed everything," Torres told The Sun.

"Even when I was leaving Liverpool he told me 'go, think about yourself. Do what's best for you - you've nothing to prove'.

"He changed the way I saw things, telling me that I could get much higher than what I had always thought. I'll never find a team-mate like him."

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After switching to Stamford Bridge, Torres' form dipped considerably. Whilst he won the FA Cup, Champions League and Europa League as a Chelsea player, in his three-and-a-half years there, he scored just 20 Premier League goals.

After a loan move to AC Milan at the start of this season, the Italian club then signed him before loaning him to his boyhood club Atletico Madrid.