Fernando Torres mother stopped him from being a goalkeeper

Throughout Fernando Torres' run of poor form over recent months there were a great many theories on why he seemed incapable of scoring goals. Well, we finally have the answer -- an overwhelming sense of empathy for the plight of goalkeepers.

From FourFourTwo:

"My brother was a keeper and I used to enjoy playing with him in the street. One day the ball knocked my front teeth out and my mum wouldn't let me play in goal anymore," he says in the November 2011 issue of FourFourTwo, out now.

"I still enjoy going between the sticks in training and when we're allowed to choose our own positions that's often where I head. I like people shooting at me and trying to stop as many as I can."

See? Fernando simply found it too painful to score on opposing goalkeepers after he sacrificed his two front teeth for the noble pursuit of goalkeeping, only to have his mother ban him from playing the position.

With a couple of goals to his credit this season, Torres seems to be coming to terms with his emotional connection to the keepers. His enjoyment of "people shooting at me" might require a bit of counseling, though.

Photo: AP