Atletico player Alvaro Morata’s eyes move abroad due to fan abuse

Atletico Madrid striker Alvaro Morata said the “easiest thing” for him was to play abroad, criticizing the way fans in Spain treat him and his family.

Morata is the fourth-highest scorer in the history of the Spanish national team – behind David Villa, Raul Gonzalez and Fernando Torres – and will captain his country in the 2024 European Championship.

However, the former Real Madrid player’s relationship with fans has been volatile, as he was booed by some fans at the Bernabeu during Spain’s friendly match with Brazil in March, and by fans during Spain’s Euro 2020 campaign three years ago.

“The easiest situation for me is not to play in Spain, because of what I have to experience when I go out on the street in this country,” Morata told Cadena Ser radio on Wednesday.

“For me, the easiest situation is to go and play outside. Often, my children, who are five years old, do not understand why people are angry with their father.

“The easiest thing last summer was to leave Atletico. I had better financial offers, from big teams, but I want to win things with Atletico. When I see how people react to our matches, to be honest, the easiest thing is to go and play abroad.”

Morata scored 35 goals in 73 matches with his country’s national team, the last of which was in the friendly match in which Spain won 5-1 over Northern Ireland on June 8.

In 2021, he said his family received “threats and insults” due to his performance with the national team.

“This could be my last big tournament with the national team,” Morata said on Thursday. “It’s the biggest thing that’s happened in my career, to be here. But you have to think about whether it’s really worth it, matching Fernando or Raul’s numbers, or being good and being happier. I think I’m playing better with the team.” The national team is outside Spain, frankly.”

“I think there are a lot of Spaniards who want the national team to perform poorly,” Morata said. “In other countries, this does not happen. I don’t know why. In Italy, during the European Championship, the flags were full of Italian flags. This is not politics, it is football. If you love football and you are Spanish, why do you want Spain to win?” ?”

Morata performed impressively in the first half of the 2023-2024 season for Atletico, but struggled badly for his form in the second half of the season, losing his place in the starting lineup.

The team have been linked with the signings of several strikers this summer, including Girona’s Artem Dovpik and Villarreal’s Alexander Sorloth.