Torres' talent threatens to outshine Spain icon Raul

Spain's Fernando Torres(L) runs past Russia's Loskov during a friendly international football match at the Carlos Belmonte stadium in Albacete. Real Madrid icon Raul is already playing catch-up in Spain's pre-World Cup goalscoring and popularity charts with his cross-city rival at Atletico, Torres.

Real Madrid icon Raul is already playing catch-up in Spain's pre-World Cup goalscoring and popularity charts with his cross-city rival at Atletico, Fernando Torres.

While the duo prepare to help Spain surpass a quarter-final exit at the hands of South Korea four years ago, Torres has emerged as the man most likely to become Spain's goalscoring hero.

After decades of underachieving in football's biggest rendezvous, a squad filled with youth and promise could finally end Spain's reputation for choking in the crucial stages.

The question is: can either Raul or Torres, or both, find the goals and match the anticipated performances of their magic midfield.

While Torres, known as 'El Nino', is widely expected to play to his potential, a huge question mark is hanging over Raul.

For the Spain skipper, the World Cup could be make-or-break time after this season's nadir. A serious knee injury, a four-month lay-off and only five Primera Liga goals comes in the wake of two previous, mediocre seasons.

But with 92 appearances and 42 goals for his country - a national record - Spain coach Luis Aragones is still counting on his talismanic skipper.

"I know Raul and I know that he's going to play well. The statistics, the goals and everything else tell me that Raul is the best," said Aragones.

The steady erosion of Raul's talents, however, has left many in Spain wondering if their emblematic captain can turn his fortunes around.

And some sections of the Spanish press have been at pains to blame Raul's knee injury, and current form on the number of years he has been playing at the top level.

A professional since the age of 17, the 28-year-old's woes prompted one leading newspaper to headline: "The years are beginning to weigh."

Spain's Raul(L) jumps over a tackle by Russia's Berezutskiy during a friendly international football match at the Carlos Belmonte stadium in Albacete. Real Madrid icon Raul is already playing catch-up in Spain's pre-World Cup goalscoring and popularity charts with his cross-city rival at Atletico, Fernando Torres.

Raul responded by claiming that dropping back a notch in attack has reduced his scoring chances.

"For the past few seasons I've been a lot further out from the goal, and no one realizes the work I do. If you're a striker, you have a lot more chances to score," said Raul.

In past World Cups Raul has produced mixed results.

In 1998 he failed to live up to the hype, but bounced back in 2002 scoring three goals before an ankle injury ended his campaign before the quarter-finals.

With the days ticking down to Spain's Group H opener against Ukraine, it is perhaps to Raul's benefit that he enjoys the loyalty of both Torres and Aragones.

"Our leader is Raul, there's no doubt about it," said Torres.

As one of the most exciting forwards to emerge from Spain in recent years, word of Torres' striking talents has already spread and past rumours linked him with a move to the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, AC Milan and Chelsea.

For the time being, Torres appears to be happy at Madrid's lesser known football club, for whom he has scored 13 goals so far this season.

After the season Raul has endured, Spain will be looking to El Nino to blow the opposition away.

And perhaps it is a sign of maturity beyond his years that Torres knows of the country's expectations of advancing to the latter stages in Germany.

"We've always had a team capable of going past the quarter-finals, but every time we get to that stage a lot of other factors come into play," said Torres shortly after being confirmed in Luis Aragones squad.

"Maybe, psychologically, we are thinking that the quarter-final match is a barrier, and that does us no good.

"If you want to be the champion you have to play against the good national sides and beat them.

"I don't believe names matter in a World Cup. If you want to win, you have to beat everybody."

Given the uncertainty surrounding Raul, it is a blessing for Aragones that he can count on a strong, goalscoring midfield.