Luca de la Torre has revealed that his team’s fans in the Netherlands bestowed him with a true backhanded compliment of a nickname.
After leaving Fulham in 2020, the U.S. men’s national team midfielder joined Dutch side Heracles. De la Torre performed well in the Netherlands, earning a move to Spanish outfit Celta Vigo last year.
While in the Netherlands, De la Torre developed a reputation as a central midfielder secure in possession and capable of progressing the ball forward. His style reminded Heracles fans of a certain Dutch international star, causing them to give De la Torre a nickname that could be taken in a few different ways.
“When I was playing in Holland, the fans of the club called me Frenkie de Jong from Aldi,” De la Torre said in an interview with ESPN. “Which is like Frenkie de Jong from a cheap knock-off supermarket. Which I guess was a compliment.”
The 25-year-old also contrasted the level in the Eredivsie to La Liga, after making the same jump that De Jong did in 2019 when he traded Ajax for Barcelona.
“The level of football is higher here obviously, both physically and technically,” De la Torre said.
“As a midfielder when you’re pressing, it’s important to not get beat and to make fouls when you have to. That was something I really had to add to my game when I made this step.”
De la Torre has become an important squad member at Celta Vigo, starting 21 league games since he arrived, including five of six this season.
According to Transfermarkt, Celta Vigo paid just €1.4 million to sign De la Torre from Heracles. Much like a trip to Aldi, that appears to be a bargain.