Call to crown Torres World Player of the Year

Fernando Torres must be crowned World Player of the Year after firing Spain to the European Championship crown.

London, July 1 : Fernando Torres must be crowned World Player of the Year after firing Spain to the European Championship crown.

That is the verdict of his Liverpool teammate Xabi Alonso and fellow Spanish superstar Cesc Fabregas, The Sun reported.

The striker, who scored 33 goals for Liverpool last season, finished superbly in the first half of Sunday night's Euro 2008 final to secure a deserved victory over Germany.

Torres himself claimed Spain now had to turn their minds to winning the biggest prize of all - the World Cup.

The 24-year-old, voted man of the match by UEFA, said: "It is a dream come true - this was a great victory for the whole team and for the whole of Spain."His selfless displays allowed strike partner David Villa to finish top scorer with four goals - three served up by Torres.

Torres got two goals including the big one against Germany keeper Jens Lehmann.

His Spain teammate Alonso said: "It was a great strike from Fernando and on Sunday he showed he is the man who performs on the big nights."

"That goal has been key. He can be the best player in the world. He has all the qualities to get that award and he has a bright future in front of him. Winning against Germany is a massive step for him and for us. He is one of the candidates for World Player of the Year," he added.

Meanwhile, Arsenal's Fabregas has no doubt who should win the prize.

"Yes, Fernando can be the best in the world. This is about the Spanish team and not the individual performance but I told him the final would be his game and he would score - and he got that goal," he said.

ANI