Horror head injury: Fernando Torres thanks doctors, fellow players, former clubs and fans for their

Former Liverpool and Chelsea forward Fernando Torres took time to thank fans, fellow players and medical staff for their support following his release from hospital on Friday morning. The 32-year-old was rushed into an ambulance on Thursday night after a sickening clash of heads with Alex Bergantinos in Atletico Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Deportivo at Riazor. With his wellbeing initially unclear, messages of support from the world of football flooded in as news of his injury spread. As well his fellow professionals in Spain, Torres’ former clubs in England both sent their well wishes on social media. ‘We wish you a speedy recovery,’ Liverpool posted on Twitter, while a message from Chelsea read: ‘Thoughts tonight are also with @Torres. Get well soon Nando, from everyone at Stamford Bridge.’ Torres retweeted both statements on Friday morning. Addressing all the positive messages, Torres told journalists as he walked out of hospital: ‘I would like to thank everyone, my fellow athletes and Depor for the reaction they had. The fans also for their reaction and the show of support.’ Describing the incident as ‘one of those things’, Torres went on to say that he had received a visit from Bergantinos overnight. ‘Yesterday I was with Alex. I was worried, but they are football things and it can happen to us all,’ he explained. ‘Luckily, everything has been just a scare and now I am counting down the days and the hours until I can train with my teammates again.’ Comparing it to a similar incident with the Spanish national team when he lost consciousness for several hours, Torres revealed that he only has a very short memory blank from Thursday.