Almost a year after leaving his home town in a move that some feared could break him, Fernando Torres was back in Madrid last night, no longer viewed as the freckle-faced kid from the suburbs, but as a conquistador, a national hero, a European champion and a young man with the world at his feet.

It was Torres's goal in the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna that brought an end to 44 years of anguish for Spain on Sunday evening, a typical burst of pace followed by a characteristically cool finish past Jens Lehmann, the Germany goalkeeper. He had endured a frustrating tournament to that point, overshadowed by the goalscoring exploits of David Villa, his strike partner, but, as his country were crowned champions, it was the Liverpool forward who emerged as the man of the moment and as the face of a talented, youthful Spain team, who aspire to dominate European football.

Torres talked afterwards of his desire to become “the most important player in Europe and the world” and, while that statement sounded out of character for one who usually leaves that kind of talk to Cristiano Ronaldo, the Manchester United and Portugal winger, his team-mates believe that such ambition is within his compass. “Fernando can be the best in the world,” Xabi Alonso, Torres's Liverpool and Spain team-mate, said. “He has all the qualities to get that award [the Ballon d'Or].”

At 24, Torres has developed into one of the most feared centre forwards in Europe. As with Ronaldo over the past two years, there has been a sudden explosion in form from a player who was hitherto regarded as a rough diamond. Last summer, even Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, believed that £20.2million spent on signing him from Atlético Madrid was a gamble, but almost 12 months later it looks a bargain.

“I have had a wonderful first season at Anfield and the goals I scored for Liverpool gave me the confidence I needed for the Euros,” Torres said yesterday. “I would like to thank Rafa and his staff because I have improved as a player thanks to them. It is also thanks to the people of the city. From the moment I came to Liverpool I have been made to feel so welcome.”

There is a genuine connection between Torres and Liverpool. He has talked of a “different spirit about the city and the club” and “a special bond between the players and the supporters”. Such attachments can quickly unravel in modern football, but it is telling that Torres was so quick earlier in the tournament to dismiss the idea of moving to Chelsea, a club who could offer him more money and probably a greater chance of challenging for the Barclays Premier League title next season. He has also said that, as a boyhood Atlético fan, he could never play for Real Madrid, a stance that would limit his options if he were to contemplate leaving Liverpool.

Even if he chooses to spend the rest of career on Merseyside, though, Torres is assured of the devotion of the Spanish nation. For a country that has had an unhealthy infatuation for the past decade with Raúl, the icon of Real, the blossoming on the international stage of Torres and Villa, as well as Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, David Silva and the rest, is almost as welcome as the triumph itself. The Madrid-based media spent the build-up to the tournament demanding that Luis Aragonés, the Spain coach, reinstate Raúl to the squad.

That particular ghost was laid to rest in Vienna, as was that of Spanish underachievement. Torres will go down in history as the man who ended that long, long wait, but he appears intent on adding to that reputation rather than living on it.