Álvaro Morata is a special guy. Initially, he is the Spanish footballer who has moved the most money in transfers (220 million) in his career, the fifth worldwide behind Neymar, Cristiano, Lukaku, and Dembélé. At 31 years old, at the peak of his career (last season was his best with 21 goals, and he just won the Eurocup as captain), he is not happy in his country because some people mock him on social media. This Friday, Milan officially announced his signing for the next four years after paying his release clause (13 million). It marks the end of a departure that began to take shape last spring.
After an impressive first half of the season (19 goals until January), things took a turn. Several injuries and, above all, the missed goal against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League quarter-finals and the whistles he received, with Spain, at the Bernabéu in March, led to a dark end of the season for him. Alongside his wife, Alice, he decided to leave Spain, personally informing Miguel Ángel Gil, CEO of Atlético, and Simeone, his coach. The reasons? He was tired of enduring criticism and, above all, the situation was starting to affect his children. He even considered going to Turkey until someone warned him that in that country, with the football fever there, he wouldn't even be able to go out on the street. With several options open, he signed an agreement with a Saudi representative to secure a good contract in Arabia.
A tormented player arrived at the national team's camp. "I believe that if he wins, he might even quit football," some who have lived with him during these 45 days said. More than the influence over the group expected from a captain, it was his kindness that generated the affection the European champion team had for him. Like the cases of Nacho, Joselu (already confirmed), or Dani Olmo, Le Normand, Laporte, or Mikel Merino, Morata was also deciding his future in the midst of the Eurocup.
Late on the night of July 1st, through the Saudi representative he had signed a contract with, Morata finalized the conditions to sign with Al Qadsiah, the same club Nacho had joined a few days earlier, which had just been promoted to the First Division under Míchel's guidance. However, something happened during those hours because the next morning, he posted on Instagram in collaboration with Atlético, stating: "I can't imagine what it must be like to win with this shirt, and I won't stop until I achieve it." That day, Simeone had several missed calls from Morata on his phone. Miguel Ángel Gil did too.
After the match against Germany on July 5th, he seemed determined to go to Italy, with Juventus and Milan as options. Once again, his wife, Alice, had a significant influence on the decision, which this time, was final. The agreement with the rossonero team was closed by his representative, Juanma López, and his father, with the Saudi agent who had led the failed operation in Arabia no longer involved.
His earnings in Italy are approximately a third of what he had agreed with Al Qadsiah, which was around 13 million net per season, even more than Nacho. He signs in Milan for four years, escaping the noise that, he says, surrounds him in Spain. He will only hear it, if it exists, when he returns with the national team, another apparent change of mind that, from considering goodbye (as he told this newspaper), leaves him in a position to continue as captain. For now, because with Morata, you never know.