- The striker believes it is ‘easiest’ for him to play abroad due to poor treatment
- He has been jeered several times while playing for the Spanish national team
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Alvaro Morata has sparked a storm in Spain’s camp at Euro 2024 after threatening to quit the national team after the tournament over ‘nonsense’ criticism.
Morata, who has captained his country in Germany this summer, previously admitted it would be ‘easiest’ for him to move abroad because of the poor treatment and laid bare the effect on his family, including his wife and four young children.
He also floated the idea of leaving Atletico Madrid just a week on from seemingly pledging his future to the club, raging that ‘in Spain, there’s no respect for anyone’.
Ahead of his likely next appearance against France in the first semi-final tomorrow, an explosive interview with El Mundo has sparked uproar in his homeland.
‘It could be [my last tournament with Spain],’ Morata told the outlet. ‘It’s a possibility that I don’t want to talk about too much, but it’s probable.’
The striker, who played for Real Madrid, Juventus and Chelsea before joining Atletico on loan in 2019, has endured a tense relationship with Spain supporters.
He had been whistled during Spain’s campaign at Euro 2020 and notably jeered throughout a friendly against Brazil at the Bernabeu in March.
‘In Spain it’s hard for me to be happy,’ Morata said. ‘Without doubt [I’m happier outside of Spain]. I’ve said it many times. Above all, because people respect me.
‘In Spain there’s no respect for anything or anyone.’
Morata married his partner, Alice Campello, in a stunning ceremony in Venice in 2017 and shares three sons and a daughter with the fashion blogger.
The 31-year-old will be available for selection against France after incorrect reports claimed he had been shown a yellow card during the 2-1 victory against Germany.
‘The other day, people said I was crying [on the touchline] because I’d been given a yellow card,’ a furious Morata added. ‘What nonsense is that! I was crying because my country, with me as captain, had got into the semifinals.
‘I could never criticise someone who was crying because of that. But I’m criticised, when I’d cut my hand off to win the Euros.’
He went on to say: ‘I try to enjoy this tournament, which could be my last games with the national team, and in the future, what will be, will be.
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‘Maybe one day they’ll even miss me. Each day, the moment for leaving is closer, that’s why I enjoy it, that’s why I’ll cry at whatever comes next, for good or bad.’
Despite looking to put rumours surrounding a potential Atletico departure this summer to rest, Morata again raised the prospect of a transfer.
‘It isn’t nice,’ he said. ‘That’s why I still think, although I’m focused on the Euros, that I don’t know if it’s best for me to stay in Spain… I’ve said I’m dying to win trophies with Atlético, but then you have to weigh up if it’s worth it or not.’
Before the Euros, Morata again bit back at criticism over his performances and detailed the effect on his family.
‘For me, the easiest thing is not to play in Spain, for my life, for what I have to go through when I go out on the street in our country,’ he told Cadenas Ser.
‘The easiest thing is to go and play abroad. Often, my children, who are five years old, do not understand why there are people who are so angry with their father.
‘The easy thing last summer would have been to leave Atletico. I had better financial offers, great teams, but I have the illusion of winning with Atletico, when I see the way people react to our matches and our victories, that part weighs a lot.’