Atleti no. 9 - a daunting task

Posted Tuesday, July 09, 2013 by Marca.com

David Villa will be Atlético de Madrid's next star striker; a position which traditionally involves delivering impressive results and carries a great deal of responsibility.

Fernando Torres: 'El Niño' stole Atlético hearts during one of the team's most difficult times - its Second Division hell. At 19 years old, 'El Niño' was already the Atleti captain. He scored 89 goals in 239 games. Liverpool paid €36 million for him.

'Kun' Agüero: the departure of 'El Niño' coincided with the explosion of a young Argentinean player onto the scene. At 18, Agüero bettered his predecessors statistics, with 101 goals in 232 matches, a Europa League and UEFA Super Cup win. Atlético sold him to City for €45 million.

Diego Forlán: 'Pichichi' and Golden Boot winner in the 2008-09 season with 32 goals, the Uruguayan forward was the hero of the Europa League, which included his two goals in the final against Fulham. 96 goals in 197 games. Inter paid €5 million for him.

Radamel Falcao: 'El Tigre' demonstrated his unrelenting goalscoring prowess - 70 goals in 91 games are figures very few can hope to achieve. His legacy includes the two amazing goals he scored in the Europa League final against Athletic and his hat-trick against Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup. Atlético let him go to Monaco for €45 million.