Alvaro Morata: Not everyone loves him

When the national football teams of Spain and Italy clash, it is a confrontation worthy of a final. No duel has been more frequent at EURO finals, and today (9 p.m., Servus TV, ZDF) the eighth encounter on this stage will take place in the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen. Driven by the desire for revenge of the Iberians, who had to bow to the later triumphant “Squadra Azzurra” in the semifinals at the EURO 2021 in a penalty shootout at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Back then, Italy’s captain Giorgio Chiellini had already laughed at his Spanish counterpart Jordi Alba during the coin toss before the showdown, and by the end, the grin on the now 39-year-old’s face was impossible to wipe. Alvaro Morata had missed the decisive penalty, and Jorginho made everything clear.

Today, Morata leads the “Furia Roja” onto the pitch as captain, but his period of suffering was long. After the missed shot, the Atletico Madrid striker was confronted with a lot of hate on social media. Conspiracy theories were spun because the 31-year-old is married to Alice, an Italian-born influencer.

Whistles from our own fans

Since then, he has been accompanied by boos from his own fans at home games, which Morata finds very annoying. “It hasn’t left me unscathed. I play better for the national team when we’re not playing in Spain,” he admits openly.

The veteran, who scored in the first EURO match in the confident 3-0 victory over Croatia, complains about a lack of respect and appreciation at home: “When I go out on the street at home, it’s not always easy. My five-year-old twins (Alessandro and Leonardo, ed.) don’t understand why there are people who are so angry with their father,” said Morata in an interview with the radio station “Cadena Ser”.

Now the next hot dance awaits against a newly formed Italian team that started the tournament with a 2-1 win over Albania.

“I know how strong they are – especially when it matters. It’s in their DNA,” explained the striker. “But I’m sure they won’t like playing against Spain either.” We’ll be wiser afterwards.