Hansi Flick, Barcelona’s manager, opted to go with Ferran Torres as the starting number nine for the ‘Blaugrana‘ and leave Lewandowski on the bench. This is a tactical decision by the German coach, who has done it constantly this season.

This is not the only top-tier player who is not starting for Barcelona against the Atletico Madrid. However, Lewandowski is healthy and is just a matter that he lost his place to Torres in the lineup. In a key game, the 37-year-old, is not trusted to play the full 90 minutes.

Lewandowski’s numbers compared to Torres’

In the 2025-2026 season, Torres has played 31 games, starting 21 of those. He has 16 goals and one assist in all competitions. As for Lewandowski, he has played 28 games, starting 16, scoring 13 goals and getting one assist in the process. That would make Torres a slightly more prolific player for Barcelona this year.

In raw numbers, Ferran Torres has an 0.88 G+A per 90 minutes played. As for Lewandowski, it’s just slightly below, providing a 0.84 G+A pero 90 minutes played. However, Torres is faster, and more collaborative than Lewandowski, who is more of a traditional, classic striker.

How did Barcelona and Atletico get here?

Barcelona qualified to the semifinals after beating Guadalajara (2-0) in the Round of 32, Racing Santander (2-0) in the Round of 16, and Albacete (2-1) in the quarterfinals. The ‘Culés’ are favored to win against Atletico Madrid in this game.

The ‘Colchoneros‘ beat Atletico Baleares (3-2) in Round of 32, Deportivo La Coruña (1-0) in Round of 16, and Real Betis (5-0) in the quarterfinals. It was a statement made in the quarterfinals but now it’s a tougher test.

Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick to help his team defeat Valencia 5-0 in the 2024-25 Copa del Rey quarter-finals. He found the net in a span of 27 minutes, and it’s the fourth fastest hat-trick for the Blaugranas in the competition. But how does this stat compare to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s quickest hat-tricks?

Messi’s fastest hat-trick with Barcelona came in the 2014-15 Liga match against Rayo Vallecano at the Camp Nou, according to the club’s official website. The Argentine star only needed 12 minutes to net a treble. Meanwhile, his fastest ever came recently with Inter Miami, needing only 11 minutes to score three goals and help his team defeat New England Revolution 6-2 for the MLS in October 2024, after he entered the pitch at the 57th minute.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s fastest hat-trick came in 2015, in a match between Real Madrid and Granada, per 90Minutes.com. The Portuguese forward scored his first three goals in just eight minutes. However, he ended up the match with five goals.

The first came with a shot to the far post from the side of the box, the second was a volley, and the third was a powerful right-footed strike from the edge of the area. His fourth was a diving finish into an empty net, and he capped off the match with a header.

How many hat-tricks have Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi scored?

Ronaldo has scored 66 hat-tricks in all his career, while Messi has scored 59 trebles. They both have 10 international hat-tricks, with the Portuguese being the first player to reach that number. Meanwhile, in their all-time club career, Ronaldo has recorded 56, while Messi has recorded 49.

Barcelona’s fastest hat-tricks in Copa del Rey

Torres scored needed 27 minutes to complete the hat-trick. He scored at the 3rd, 17th and 30th minute of the first half. This display was the fourth quickest hat-trick for the club in the competition, according to Mister Chip:

• Josep Escolà against Osasuna in 1936 (20th minute)
• Sandor Kocsis against Betis in 1959 (22nd minute)
• Eulogio Martínez against Atleti in 1957 (25th minute)
• Ferran Torres against Valencia in 2025 (30th minute)

La Furia started their FIFA World Cup campaign on the right foot, putting seven past Costa Rica. However, their draw with Germany forces them to get a result in the final matchday in order to advance.

The Asian side, meanwhile, was upset by the Ticos after pulling off a shock against Germany in its opening match. Among the many changes made by Spain manager Luis Enrique for this game, Ferran Torres was dropped from the starting lineup.

Why is Ferran Torres not starting for Spain against Japan

Ferran Torres was benched due to a tactical reason, as he doesn’t have any injury. Enrique decided to start Nico Williams over the Barcelona winger, whileAlvaro Morata— who scored against Germany— replaces Marco Asensio up front.

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However, he consequently missed several goalscoringopportunitiesthat could have given Xavi Hernandez’s side the lead, and most probably, a great advantage in the return leg. The 21-year-old eventually had to be comfortedby his teammates after the final whistle, as he was left in tears due to his poor performance.

What was clearly visible was the fact that Torres wore a jersey that didn’t havethe Barcelona crest or the Nike emblem throughout the whole second half of the match. The Blaugranafans were confused when they noticed the missing details on his jersey, and to make things even more confusing, the player played the first half in completely normal equipment.

Why Ferran Torres’ kit was crest and manufacturer logofree

There was a lot of speculation about what exactly happened and what the problems were with Torres’kit, but now a logical explanation has emerged. Spanish publication Diario AShas suggested that the unusual jersey was a result of asimpleprinting mistake and not some kind of protest against the club or its jersey manufacturer.

The omission allegedly went unnoticed by the Barcelona staff, as the Spanish player changed his previous sweat-drenchedjersey during thehalf-time break. Everyone found out about the issuein the post-game photos. In addition, Nike have begun an internal inquiry into how the club was able to get such a garment, Catalan newspaperMundo Deportivo revealed.

For each match, Barcelona provides three sets of uniforms to its players: one for the first half, another for the second, and a third in case the jersey gets stained. While the scenario is puzzling, it didn’tviolate UEFA rules, the report adds.They stipulate that the player’s name and number must be on the jersey and be correct, but they make no mention of the club’s crest or the kit manufacturer’s emblem.

As things stand, the budget available to Barcelona is currently insufficient to apply for the first winter reinforcement, which means that there will have to be a salary exemption for Ferran to be registered as a player from Xavi’s first team. “Ferran Torres is a spectacular reinforcement for us. Not only did we get a great player, but also a fantastic person. He had an injury and is in the final stages of rehabilitation. Hewill give us a lot and I’m sure of that.

“We will see how the financial situation will develop, whether we will be able to register himimmediately. There are some players who need to leave, but if Dembele agrees to a pay cut, Ferran will be able to be registered immediately. We hope that will happen. Ferran is a dream for every coach, he can adapt to all conditions and he can play in all positions in the attack,” Xavi said in the latest press conference.

Barcelona: 3 conditions to fulfill to registerFerran Torres

Barcelona will have to rely on a number of crucial depth players to step up for their Sunday game against Mallorca, especially since several players have been ruled out as a result ofCOVID-19 positive tests. The former Valencia forward, Torreswill only be registered in La Liga if Barcelona are able to offload both Samuel Umtiti and Philippe Coutinho in January, says Catalan publicationMundo Deportivo.

Another reason why Xavi Hernandez’s sidehavefound it difficult to register any newacquisitions is due toOusmane Dembele‘s high financial demands. A possible lower salary to Dembele would be spread out over several years if he acceptsa contract extension, and the club would have some additional cash.

If Barca can move Dembele in January, things could get a little better. This, on the other hand, appears improbable. French defender Samuel Umtiti and Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho are still connected with a number of teams, but nothing has progressed as of yet.

Los Cules got off to a disastrous start to the season, suffering a group stage crash in the UEFA Champions League thatsaw them drop to the Europa League for the first time in more than a decade.

Since then, it became crystal clear that rebuild couldn’t wait any longer and changes were expected to come by winter. However, the club’s financial crisis suggested it would be hard for Xavi to land new players that fast, but Barca may have found the way to afford Ferran.

Report: Barcelona’s plan to sign Ferran Torres from Man City

Barcelona are undoubtedly one of the most attractive destinations for any soccer player on Earth. But at the end of the day, their prestigeis not enough if they can’t afford what the biggest names in world soccer demand.

That’s why they had to make an extra effort to make Ferran Torres’ arrival possible. According to Guillem Balague, Barcelona took a huge bank loan in order to satisfy Manchester City‘s demands.

Torres would make his way to Camp Nou in a €55 million move ($62m) plus €10m ($11m) in add ons. It remains to be seen whether this will be the answer for El Blaugrana’s problems or just another blow for their finances.

Torres, 21, had a great impact in the Premier League club after joining from Valencia in 2020 but he has been craving for playing time this season as he has only made seven appearances. Since October, however, a foot injury has kept him on the sidelines.

But followingXavi Hernandez‘s appointment, Barca are in rebuild mode and Ferran is apparently interested inplaying a huge part in it. The problem is El Blaugrana have no money and Pep Guardiola won’t let him leave so easily. That’s why the Spanish manager would request a Barcelona player in exchange.

Report: Barcelona could make a tradewith Man City to land Ferran Torres

Xavi has restored hope in Barcelona but he’ll probably need to upgrade his squad in order to challenge for titles. So, Ferran could come like a massive reinforcement for Los Cules. And they mayhavea way to make it possible.

According to Catalan outlet El Nacional, Pep Guardiola would give the green light to Ferran Torres’ departure as long as Barcelona offer Sergiño Dest in exchange. The 21-year-oldright-back is only at his second season with Barca after joining them from Ajaxin the summer of 2020 when Ronald Koeman took over.

Dest has seen the field regularly at Camp Nou, especially this season. The USA international has started 12 of 17 possible matches in the ongoing campaign and Barca don’t have many alternatives inhis position.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be easy for El Blaugrana to accept his exit having spent nearly $28 million for him only a year ago. But, given their financial crisis, Barcelona may not have many other options to get the deal done. For now, the club will probably try to discuss other possibilites with the English club.