Fernando Torres set to light up Euro 2008 final

Like an episode of Doctor Who, the stars have slowly gone out at Euro 2008.

The array of glittering talent that kicked off the Euro 2008 finals has, one-by-one, slowly been extinguished.

Ronaldo, Benzema, Ibrahimovic and Pirlo barely raised a flicker. And now Andrei Arshavin and even David Villa, who shone so brightly, have been snuffed out.

But that has left the way open for one man to claim the crown as the star of the show. That player, of course, is Fernando Torres, the most exciting striker in the world.

And yet never will a crown have sat more uncomfortably on anyone's head.

The contrast between Spain's awkwardly shy Torres and Portugal's self - obsessed Cristiano Ronaldo is stark to say the least.

Where the Manchester United player courts celebrity and status with a passion, Torres hides from the spotlight, embarrassed by it.

Where Ronaldo is clearly desperate for the riches that come with his incredible talent, his counterpart is desperate only to become a better player.

Ronaldo shuffled out of this tournament, concerned only with his impending move to Real Madrid and the even greater glory - and wealth - that will bring.

For him, the fact that Manchester United transformed him from show pony to genuine great seems to be not enough.

Torres though, is the opposite. His Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez claims the striker is a joy to work with because "he is a genuinely nice boy".

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 "He is such a good player to work with because he is not interested in the fame or the money.

"He wants only to be the best player he can be. And to do that, he works hard all the time," Benitez explained.

"His mentality is perfect. Of course he is the focus because he is such a good player, but that is not important to him at all. He wants to get better and he listens and learns all the time in the pursuit of that."

Torres turned down vast riches at the end of just about every one of the seven seasons he was in the Atletico Madrid first team. He felt he owed loyalty to the club who discovered him - and the team he supported as a kid.

He only moved to Liverpool because Atletico gave him their blessing.

He chose Anfield because he felt he could fit in there and go about his business without

PAST WINNERS

GERMANY 3 1972, 1980, 1996

FRANCE 2 1984, 2000

CZECHOSLOVAKIA 1 1976

DENMARK 1 1992

ITALY 1 1968

HOLLAND 1 1988

SOVIET UNION 1 1960

SPAIN 1 1964

GREECE 1 2004

DISTANCE COVERED BY EURO 2008 TEAMS

Russia 365.1 miles

SPAIN 354.6

TURKEY 353.5

GERMANY 335.5

NETHERLANDS 295.5

ITALY 291.0

CROATIA 286.2

PORTUGAL 263.9

ROMANIA 212.3

SWEDEN 209.1

POLAND 203.7

AUSTRIA 202.7

SWITZERLAND 200.7

CZECH REPUBLIC 200.0

GREECE 195.7

FRANCE 190.9