"In Spain, there is no respect for anyone" - Alvaro Morata opens up on hate comments, explains crying on the touchline after win over Germany
Spain captain Alvaro Morata has opened up about hate comments and explained why he was crying on the touchline after La Roja beat Germany. Both footballing giants clashed in the quarterfinals of EURO 2024, with Dani Olmo and Mikel Merino ensuring continuity in the competition for the Spaniards.
It was a hard-fought match that saw La Roja push the Germans, who are hosting the tournament, to the wire. After Olmo opened the scoring early in the second half, Florian Wirtz scored the equalizer for Die Mannschaft with 89 minutes on the clock. This pushed the game into extra time, with Mike Merino eventually heading in the winning goal in the 119th minute.
While Spain are now in the semi-finals and look on course to potentially win EURO 2024, Alvaro Morata is not too excited about his future with the national team. The captain had an interview with El Mundo, where he revealed the potential possibility of ending his run with La Roja after this tournament.
The forward had received death threats during EURO 2020, and he has continued to receive consistent criticism. He also shared the issues he faced while playing for the national team and revealed that he was "happier" when he wasn't in Spain, adding (via The Athletic):
“It is because people respect me. In Spain, there is no respect for anything or anyone.”
He also spoke about crying on the touchline, revealing that he received criticism for doing so, with comments that included:
“Spain would be better off without me anyway.”
The 31-year-old, who has played for Chelsea and Juventus, has scored an impressive 36 goals in 78 caps for La Roja. This has set him as the country's fourth-highest goalscorer, and he will be looking to finish EURO 2024 with the trophy in his arms.
Alvaro Morata and Spain prepare for EURO 2024 clash against France
Spain and France are set to clash horns when they face each other in the EURO 2024 semi-final at the Allianz Arena on July 9. Alvaro Morata has been an important part of La Roja's presence in the competition, having partaken in every single game.
He scored in their first group stage match against Croatia, and has since started every game except for their final group stage win over Albania. Morata has not yet played a full match, getting substituted in each game he has started.
In the meantime, though, he looks set to play France, and it is likely that he will start. He seemed to have picked up a yellow card in the aftermath of their win over Germany, which would have been his second booking of the tournament. This would have kept him out of contention, but the striker was not actually booked (via TalkSPORT) and will be available.