Fernando Torres signs for Japan’s club

Fernando Torres will wear the number 9 shirt for J-League side Sagan Tosu

Former Liverpool, Chelsea and Spain striker Fernando Torres has signed for Japanese side Sagan Tosu.

His Atletico Madrid contract ran out this summer and was not renewed, with his final appearance as a 90th-minute substitute in the Europa League final defeat of Marseille.

The Spaniard, 34, rejoined his boyhood club in 2014 after a loan at AC Milan.

The World Cup and European Championship winner was part of Chelsea’s Champions League-winning team in 2012.

He scored 126 goals in 314 matches in an eight-year spell in English football, including four years with Liverpool when he scored 81 times in only 142 games.

“I have had offers from France, Germany and even one from Spain but at no point did I ever think about going to another European team,” Torres said on Tuesday.

“I wanted a new challenge in a completely different place.”