Here Sportsmail takes a look at his top five moments in a Blue shirt

He signed from Liverpool for £50million in January 2011 but struggled

The announcement of his loan move to AC Milan finally ends a three-and-a-half year spell of personal hell for Fernando Torres.

The £50million centre forward arrived from Liverpool on deadline day in January 2011 and every season since has seen the Stamford Bridge narrative dominated by talk of whether the big-money flop could lead the line.

Unfortunately for the Spaniard, he never quite managed it - although there were some standout moments in a period that saw him win club silverware for the first time in his career.

Here’s Sportsmail look at Torres' top five Chelsea moments...

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Fernando Torres' best moments in a Chelsea shirt

Finally! Fernando Torres scores his first goal for Chelsea against West Ham United in April 2011

5) Breaking the duck at Stamford Bridge

A 903-minute drought gave a sign of things to come as Torres struggled to even get his Chelsea career off to a decent start.

Beginning with a performance that saw him substituted in his debut against former club Liverpool, the Spanish striker found it difficult to adapt to his new surroundings before finally getting off the mark in late April.

With Chelsea already a goal to the good, Nicholas Anelka's through ball sent Torres clear on goal, one-on-one with Rob Green but with defenders in pursuit.

He made it to the edge of the penalty area but at a rain-soaked Stamford Bridge the ball was halted by a puddle, forcing him to double-back on himself before curling a fine left-footed finish past Green - which was wildly celebrated by his team-mates.

Relief: Torres runs off and celebrates his goal against West Ham by blowing a kiss to the Chelsea fans

4) Real quality with a hat-trick against QPR

With Chelsea preparing for the Champions League final, Roberto Di Matteo gave some of his second-string a chance against struggling QPR - and that included Torres.

On a rare hark back to his Liverpool days, the hitman managed three of his 20 Premier League goals in a treble as he ripped apart the Rs defence, scoring Chelsea’s third, fourth and fifth goals in a 6-1 rout.

Di Matteo later spoke about how the team were finally playing to Torres’ strengths, although it didn’t last long as he drew blanks against Newcastle, Liverpool and Blackburn as Chelsea finished sixth.

At the treble: Torres scored a hat-trick for Chelsea against West London rivals QPR on April 29, 2012

Arms aloft: Torres (right) is joined by captain John Terry (left) in celebration after netting his hat-trick goal

3) Taking apart seemingly-unbeatable Manchester City

Having wildly shot over the bar with just the keeper to beat earlier in the game, Torres turned on the style to become Chelsea’s matchwinner against eventual champions Manchester City.

First, he tore past Gael Clichy with ease before putting the ball on a plate for Andre Schurrle to score the opener, before Sergio Aguero equalised for City, and after performing as a real No 9 should on a rare occasion in a Chelsea shirt, he scored the winner.

It came from a mix-up between Matija Nastastic and Joe Hart but Torres was on hand to knock the ball into the net before screaming in celebration in front of the Shed End.

Jose Mourinho later spoke of how Torres deserved his chance to win the game with an easy opportunity after a sensational performance - although it again proved to be another false dawn and his name didn’t appear on the scoresheet again for almost two months as Chelsea struggled to find an option upfront.

Predator: Torres pounced on a Manchester City defensive mix-up to bag a last-minute winner in October 2013

Celebration: Torres runs off and screams with joy after bagging the winner against Manchester City

2) Amsterdam impact against Benfica

Torres managed six goals in Chelsea’s Europa League campaign, including strikes in both the quarter- and semi-finals, but the most impressive was saved for the final.

He showed a combination of pace and strength to escape the attentions of Ezequiel Garay and Luisao before rounding the goalkeeper and scoring from a tight angle to give his side the lead.

It was the Torres Chelsea thought they had signed for £50m back in 2011 - strong, pacey and able to find the finishing touch.

The Europa League was Torres’ most productive competition, but he did well in Europe generally for the Blues and leaves as their third-highest all-time top European goalscorer behind only Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.

Big occasion: Torres opened the scoring during Chelsea's victory over Benfica in the 2013 Europa League final

Give us a kiss! The Spanish striker celebrates with the Europa League trophy after the victory over Benfica

1) Sealing most-unlikely Nou Camp triumph

With Chelsea down to 10 men and already written off against the world’s greatest club side, they produced one of the best performances by an English side in European competition - and Torres capped it.

Over two legs and 120 minutes Chelsea were consistently battered by Pep Guardiola’s Tiki-taka champions but despite John Terry’s red card the score was tied at 2-2 on aggregate, with Chelsea going through on away goals.

Lionel Messi missed a penalty, the woodwork worked in Chelsea’s favour and Petr Cech was on top form but memories of Andres Iniesta’s last-minute winner two years previous still loomed large in supporters’ thoughts.

With the clock ticking down substitute Torres tried to alleviate pressure by running out of defence but lost the ball to Xavi - yet Ashley Cole’s desperate clearance then found the No 9 alone just inside his own half.

Sprinting forward, he rounded Victor Valdes before an ice-cool finish sent Chelsea to Munich and wrote Torres into Stamford Bridge folklore forever.

Best moment: Undoubtedly Torres' most memorable goal at Chelsea was his strike at the Nou Camp in 2012

Get in there! Torres' goal ensured Chelsea progressed to the Champions League final at Barcelona's expense

PS: He played a role in Chelsea's greatest ever night, too...

Didier Drogba might be the man remembered for Chelsea’s Champions League triumph over Bayern Munich but Torres played his part too.

Coming on as an 84-minute substitute with Bayern a goal to the good, Torres ran down the right flank and was tackled, leading to Chelsea’s first corner of the night.

Juan Mata took the set-piece and Drogba powerfully headed it home - and the rest is history.

Glory: Fernando Torres celebrates with the Champions League trophy after Chelsea's victory in 2012