Sergio Torres (footballer, born 1981)


Sergio Raul Torres is an Argentine footballer who is currently Player-Assistant Manager for Eastbourne Borough in National League South. He holds an Italian passport, since his grandmother was Italian. He has previously played in his Argentinian homeland as well as in the football league for Wycombe Wanderers, Peterborough United and Crawley Town.

Club career

Early career

Torres began his early career in Argentina at Club Atlético Banfield in his native city of Mar del Plata playing part-time while working in the family brick factory. After two seasons he decided to leave the club and fund his own trip to England in 2004 with the aim of impressing Brighton & Hove Albion during a two-week trial. Although Albion showed no more interest, he signed for non-league Molesey before moving on to Basingstoke Town later that year. While at Basingstoke, Torres worked at Boots, stacking shelves in order to earn a living and cycled to work.

Wycombe Wanderers

In July 2005 Basingstoke Town played a pre-season friendly match against Wycombe Wanderers, during which Torres impressed then manager John Gorman and was offered a two-year professional contract.

Peterborough United

In July 2008 Torres and Russell Martin joined Peterborough United for a joint fee of £200,000, with Torres valued at
£150,000. The move to Peterborough was not a success, with Torres even considering returning to Argentina and consulting a sports psychologist after not being selected or being played out of position. He was transfer listed by the club following their promotion to the Championship and subsequently joined Lincoln City on a one-month loan on 17 September 2009. On 28 October 2009 Torres signed for Lincoln until January. He was transfer listed again by Peterborough at the end of the 2009–10 season.

Crawley Town

In July 2010, Torres joined Crawley Town on a two-year contract. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but BBC Sport suggested that it was around £100,000. Torres enjoyed considerable success with Crawley during which time the Reds won promotion to the Football League and then League One under Steve Evans as well as reaching Round 5 of the FA Cup in 2011, to play at Old Trafford against Manchester United. Crawley disposed of three football league sides, Swindon Town, Derby County and Torquay United on the way. Torres played the full 90 minutes at Old Trafford in central midfield. Despite still being a non-league side at the time, Crawley narrowly lost 0-1, but had 52% possession and hit the bar in the last minute. After a change of manager, Torres was released in 2014.

Whitehawk

In June 2014 Torres signed for Conference South side Whitehawk, citing his wife's desire to stay living in Brighton, the lack of offers from Football League teams and a wish to play under The Hawks manager Steve King as the reasons for dropping down three divisions. Torres once more enjoyed FA Cup success at Whitehawk, helping his side reach Round 2 for the first time in their history in 2015.
Torres was appointed club captain at Whitehawk for the 2015–2016 season. After helping The Hawks reach the league play-offs two seasons on the run, Torres was named in the Conference South team of the season in 2016, alongside teammates Danny Mills and Nick Arnold.

Eastbourne Borough

On 7 June 2017, Torres joined fellow National League South side Eastbourne Borough.

Personal life

Torres lives in Brighton. In October 2013 he published his autobiography with co-author Juan Manuel Lopez
The Sergio Torres Story: From The Brick Factory to Old Trafford.
Torres is a close friend of Norwich City and Scottish International defender Russell Martin. They first met while both playing for Wycombe Wanderers in League 2 and then Peterborough United. In 2016 Torres joined the Russell Martin Soccer Academy as Lead Coach. Torres stated that he always wanted to coach children and before he left Argentina was studying to become a PE Teacher. He is currently in his final year of a Sports Science degree.

Career statistics

Honours

Conference National 2010–11 : Champions
Football League Two 2011–12 : Promotion
Football League One 2008–09 : Promotion