My Sweetheart! Barcelona Could Not Accommodate the World Cup King, Who Has Now Blended Perfectly with Paris

On September 10 Beijing time, in the 2026-27 Champions League season, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Bratislava 6-1 and temporarily moved to the top of the Champions League standings. New €48.5 million signing Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick and temporarily moved to the top of the Champions League scoring chart.

In the 31st minute, Ferran made a forward run into the edge of the six-yard box and finished a volley from Dembele's right-wing chipped pass to give Paris a 3-0 lead. In the 47th minute, Akliouche broke through and provided his first assist since joining, with Ferran curling a shot from near the edge of the penalty area to score his second. In the 57th minute, he struck a shot from outside the six-yard box after Dembele's right-side corner and completed his hat-trick.

He recorded 6 shots with 3 on target and 3 off target, an expected goals figure of 0.78, completed 15 of 16 passes with 2 key passes, added 1 tackle, and lost possession 6 times.

This was Ferran Torres' fourth appearance for Paris, with 215 total minutes played and 5 goals scored. Besides his hat-trick in this match, he also scored twice on his Ligue 1 debut for Paris in the opening round.

During his time at Barcelona, Ferran Torres won 7 trophies with the team, including 3 La Liga titles, 1 Copa del Rey title and 3 Spanish Super Cups. He made 207 appearances for Barcelona, scoring 65 goals and providing 23 assists. Although his efficiency improved year by year and he produced a star-level 21 goals and 3 assists last season, he seemed to have never truly received Barcelona's recognition.

Yamal, Lewandowski and Raphinha were Barcelona's established attacking trio. When Lewandowski eventually departs, Barcelona has been eager to bring in a big-name No. 9 (Alvarez/Lautaro/Gyokeres/Jesus) and never considered making him the main striker, which was the biggest reason behind his departure. A more objective reason was that Barcelona's transfer agreement with Manchester City for Ferran included an additional clause: if the player renewed his contract, Barcelona would have to pay the Citizens an extra €8 million. This was another reason Barcelona was reluctant to negotiate a renewal with Ferran.

Even scoring the winning goal in a World Cup final and lifting the trophy with seven Spain/Barcelona dual-affiliation teammates could not change his situation. Of course, as his former coach and someone who highly appreciated Ferran, Enrique had already started transfer talks before the World Cup rather than making a temporary decision afterward. Paris could provide Ferran with Enrique's tactical system, promise him a key role, and offer a salary package better than Barcelona's, making his search for a new path understandable.

After joining Paris, Ferran has scored 5 goals in 4 matches and has still only started twice. He remains roughly the fourth attacking option in the team, but under Enrique's system Paris actively rotates players. Ferran Torres is not simply a substitute in name as he was at Barcelona, and his strong goalscoring form is expected to create more starting opportunities.

It is worth noting that in recent years, Neymar, Messi and Dembele all followed this path from Barcelona to Paris. Now Ferran Torres appears to be following in their footsteps.

After his hat-trick, Ferran happily said: “It feels like a dream. This is an incredible night. This was my first Champions League match representing Paris Saint-Germain, we won, and I also scored a hat-trick.”

“Seeing such passionate fans, I truly hope this day never ends! Goals are always important, but it is equally important to play well, show everything the team displayed tonight, and meet the expectations from the outside world.”

“I am really happy to receive such a welcome at the club. Everyone has made me feel like I am back home. I may have integrated into the team faster than I expected, and I hope to bring more happiness to the fans in the future.”

It is easy to feel the happiness and harmony between him and Paris Saint-Germain.