Was Ángel Torres’s bust destined for a Kentucky Fried Chicken dumpster? Here at the former site of the Busto a Ángel Torres, that very question hangs in the air, much like the aroma of fried chicken once did. This bust, a bronze likeness of the president of Getafe CF, Ángel Torres, stood proudly near the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez stadium. It was more than just a sculpture. It was a symbol of Torres’s impact on the football club and the city of Getafe.
The Busto a Ángel Torres was inaugurated on a crisp December day in 2007. Before a match against Villarreal, Torres, originally from Recas (Toledo), expressed his pride at being honored with a bust in a city not his own. He remarked that his mother would have been incredibly proud. The sculptor, José Martín Calderón, a Toledo native residing in Getafe, captured Torres’s likeness. Calderón also created several other sculptures around Getafe. His works include busts of Miguel Hernández, César Navarro, and Clara Campoamor, along with other artistic contributions to the city. The bust of Ángel Torres rested on a pedestal bearing the Getafe CF crest, a testament to his connection to the club.
For years, the area around the bust fell into neglect. It became surrounded by litter until the city sold the plot in 2016. New owners built a KFC and a Foster Hollywood on the site. Interestingly, the bust itself didn’t interfere with the redevelopment. There seemed to be ample space on the sidewalk for it to remain. Then, mysteriously, the Busto a Ángel Torres vanished. The disappearance seems to have been ordered by the mayor, Sara Hernández. Torres himself confirmed the removal, stating that workers were instructed to take it away. The whereabouts of the bust, however, remain unknown. There’s speculation that it might have been discarded, perhaps even alongside the bust of his former adversary, Craioveanu. The mystery deepens because Torres claims he received no official communication about the removal. He even questions the opposition’s silence on the matter.
So, as we stand here, at the former site of the Busto a Ángel Torres, we’re left with a void. Not just a physical void where the bronze figure once stood, but a void of information. Where is the bust now? Was it truly thrown away? Or is it waiting to be rediscovered, perhaps in some municipal storage room, a silent witness to the shifting tides of local politics and football rivalries?