Alvaro Morata says he and his Atletico Madrid teammates thought Inter would go all the way to the Champions League final again. The Spanish striker was speaking with La Gazzetta dello Sport about the season he’s having and explained why he decided not to make the return Italy last summer, despite interest from Roma, Milan, Inter and Juventus:
“With Italian clubs, there were contractual difficulties, but what changed everything was a chat with Simeone. And here I want to say something: many people think and say that he and I didn’t get along. It’s not true; we had an excellent relationship. Last summer, it improved because we got to know each other better on a personal level. On the football side, everything was already clear; we took a step forward in mutual understanding, and it helped both of us: I’ve never played as many games as a starter for Atletico as I have this year, and I’ve also scored many goals.”
So, one might expect a quiet summer for you.
“Well, you never know with me (laughs). There’s never a quiet summer! I’m very happy at Atletico, and the same goes for my family in Madrid. But I’m no longer 23-24 years old, and we’ll have to see what plans the club has for me. Let’s say I don’t know anything at the moment.”
Well, we have one certainty and one uncertainty: the Olympics.
“Yes. Let’s start with the uncertainty: for me, it’s the last opportunity to participate in the Olympics, and that would obviously make me very happy. However, the final decision rests with the club. And it also depends on how the season goes: if we reach the Champions League final, for example, then there’s the European Championship, and if we add the Olympics to that, it becomes very long, and we risk paying for it next year.”
You mentioned the Champions League final. With Inter, you played the perfect game.
“We had been preparing for weeks. Simeone showed us many videos of the many good things Inter can do, a great team. Everyone saw them as finalists, and so did we. Last year, they could have won the Champions League; this year, unless disasters happen, they will win Serie A. In the first leg, they left us alive, and in the return leg, we played a great game. And even then, we went to penalties, which remain a lottery. They could have closed it, we could have closed it…”
And now?
“A very difficult clash with Borussia Dortmund. With the return leg in Germany, and away from home, we need to improve. We lost to Cadiz and Sevilla, who hadn’t won since September… It’s hard to explain because it’s certainly not an attitude problem; we give our all. It’s a strange season, and sometimes in anomalous seasons, wonderful things happen. Beating Inter was an adrenaline boost; if we make it past the quarter-finals, then we can compete with anyone.”
And the European Championship?
“I sign up for Spain and Italy to advance, and I’ll add one thing: whoever qualifies from our group will go far. But it will be very tough. Croatia has immense competitive spirit, second and third in the World Cup, out with us at the Euros but they could have progressed, and last year in the Nations League, we beat them on penalties. And Albania had a spectacular group stage. The problem is, you can’t make mistakes: if you miss a step, you’re immediately under pressure. But as captain, I say that this Spain has a great group, and I think of Italy: you won the 2021 Euros thanks to the strength of the group, that’s the example to follow.”
