Álvaro Morata - the best captain for the family
throughout all the age categories in red, Álvaro Morata is looking forward to this summer's European Championships with high hopes. He has 71 senior caps to his name, is Spain's fifth-highest scorer with 34 goals, and will be wearing the captain's armband for the first time at a major tournament. Full of confidence about what his team can achieve on German soil, nothing is more important to the striker than being a leader who pays attention to every detail in order to maintain a sense of harmony in the dressing room. From his home to the team’s residence, from the kisses of his family to the hugs of his teammates, his is a journey full of anecdotes, memories and dreams.
Carrying his belongings, the captain of the national team rushes to get his final things ready at home. Despite always having his family with him in his heart, he is leaving his wife and four children behind and is well accustomed to dealing with long spells away from home at international tournaments. To perform to the best of his ability, he needs to feel at one with his people. “We are a great team and my children make me stronger every day to fight and make them proud of their father. All I can think about is that my wife and children are proud of me, which is also a triumph in life”.
And he wants to triumph in Germany at this European Championships that is looking so potentially exciting for Spain. “It's unbelievable. I'm on my way to the national training ground at Ciudad de Fútbol in Las Rozas and I'm sweating like it's the first time. It's an incredible feeling. On top of that, I get to be captain this time,' Morata beamed. I recall all the times I've gone away with the youth teams, all my teammates, my coaches, it’s incredible”.
This time I get to be captain, it's an incredible feeling.
His role in the dressing room has changed, the responsibility that comes with wearing the captain's 'C' on your arm is more than evident, but his essence and the desire are the same: "I don't want to think about it too much either, I'm going to do what I always do: try to help and motivate people, make feel that they can go all the way. It doesn't matter how you get there or who gets there, those who are there have to realise that maybe they won't be in an occasion like this again.
Morata is packing his bags with the long term in mind, feeding off the desire and enthusiasm of a group that are determined to reach the final in Berlin on 14 July. Of course, there is currently no need to look beyond the group stage, which is a tough one in itself, especially with Croatia, Italy and Albania in the mix, but it is understandable that Spain should be considered amongst the favourites for the tournament. After all, they are the reigning UEFA Nations League champions and qualified for this Euros after a brilliant qualifying campaign. “As captain, the only thing I want to say to everyone is that they need to relax, which is the most important thing, but that we are also focused on winning. We can win the European Championships and make history”.
These are the words of an ideal captain, both for his family and for the national team that, in a way, is also his.