Round of 16: Italy v Spain, beIN Sports Max 1-4, 8pm
Spain striker Alvaro Morata, who is expected to lead his country’s line Monday in their Euro 2016 last-16 game against Italy at the Stade de France, hopes to continue his fine run which saw him score three goals in the group stage.
When the tournament is over, Morata will return to Real Madrid after the European club champions exercised a buy-back option from Juventus for a €30 million (Dh122.5m) fee.
The 23-year-old frontman left Madrid for Turin in 2014 and enjoyed two successful seasons, though he never completely established himself at Juventus’ leading striker ahead of Carlos Tevez. Compared to Gonzalo Higuain, the last striker to move from Real Madrid to Serie A, Morata scored a less-than-prolific 12 goals in 47 matches last season, though he made as many assists.
See also:
• Ian Hawkey: Spain no longer Italy's to knock around, as two old rivals meet in crucial Euro 2016 knockout
• Poll: Italy or Spain – who will win to advance to the Euro 2016 quarter-finals?
• Greg Lea: Defeat to Croatia could cost Spain dearly, but Group D encounter justified hype: Euro 2016 talking points
• Ian Hawkey: Spain not necessarily tiki-taka Spain, and Alvaro Morata is making that OK
“Alvaro plays unbelievably well in the Champions League but it has been more difficult for him in Serie A, where it is more tactical,” explained his Juventus teammate Patrice Evra.
“Alvaro is a player who needs space, but his finishing is brilliant. He can be strong when he wants, he’s powerful. He can run over distance and in short bursts. He’s got a great future ahead of him.”
Morata did better in his first season in Turin, scoring 15 times including in both legs of the Uefa Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, goals which knocked his former and soon-to-be employers out. He didn’t celebrate. He also scored Juventus’ only goal in a 3-1 defeat against Barcelona in the final, an opponent he will meet domestically next season when he returns to play in Spain. For now he is shining in France and justifying Vicente del Bosque’s assertion that he can be “world class”.
“With Alvaro, he needs to get the right service,” explains Evra, himself a member of the France team at Euro 2016. “He has great players behind him at Juventus and he has great players behind him for Spain.”
Evra also thinks Spain’s No 9 is a confidence player.
“Sometimes before the game he says to me ‘Patrice, tell me something. When you tell me something I feel confident and I score,’ reveals the France full-back. “I reply and tell him that he’s the best, that he can score, that it depends on him and not what I say to him. He’s a good lad, I like him.”
Unlike Paul Pogba, who many – but by no means all – in Turin expect to stay, Morata was expected to return to Spain, which he did after 27 goals in 93 appearances over two seasons when Juventus won consecutive Serie A titles, one domestic Italian Cup and reached the 2015 Champions League final.
When Morata said he was leaving Turin, he became the latest player to write to fans to thank them.
“I remain marked by this club, its history and all of you,” read the statement which didn’t read like it had been written by Morata. “Wherever I go I’ll always feel like a Juventino and I’ll be able to say with pride and in a loud voice that I wore the Juventus colours and that I was one of their champions. Thanks once again to everyone for letting me be part of this family.”
Having been given his Spain debut in 2014 by Del Bosque, Morata was picked ahead of Fernando Torres, Diego Costa, Paco Alcacer, Nolito and Aritz Aduriz to be Spain's main striker in a side overloaded with midfield talent which dominates possession. He now has to try to work his way into a Madrid side he was unable to break into under Jose Mourinho.
Morata faces competition from Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Jese – who may now leave – and Lucas Vasquez, but Morata is the only Madrileno among those names, though he did start out at Atletico Madrid before joining Real Madrid at 16.
He can also play on the left or right, but it’s as a centre-forward that he prefers to play. That’s where he scored two goals against Turkey and one against Croatia, the defeat which set up Monday’s rerun of the 2012 final, which Spain won 4-0. If Spain are to score as many again, Morata is the favourite to be among the goals.
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