Alvaro Morata, happy to return to a call-up to the national team, acknowledged that he may have been hasty when he left Atletico in the summer, although he said he is happy with the new stage he is living in Turkish football.
Alvaro Morata returns to the Spanish national team, the one that made him so happy during the last European Championship. In his interview with ‘El Larguero’ on ‘Cadena SER’ he was seen somewhat more relaxed, happy and disconnected from the social pressure he complained about several months ago. The striker acknowledged that leaving Atletico could have been a mistake, as he was advised by those around him, but he is focused on living the present, both at club and national team level.
He now plays for Galatasaray, where he has found an atmosphere that has surprised him, especially in his duels against Fenerbahçe: “I’ve never seen it. In the first game I was injured and there were 30,000 policemen, 300 or 400 in the locker room. The referee was a foreigner. A bit peculiar, but well, experiences. They live it in a way that is another level. Now at Galatasaray we have a chance to win the 25th title, which is to put another star on the shirt. I haven’t seen Mourinho yet, I have a lot of respect and affection for him because he gave me the opportunity to play for the first time, but maybe we have to wait until we leave Turkey to talk. The rivalry is a crazy thing. Then it is true that there are things that are not right for everyone, it should be football and that’s it”.
He commented on the level of the Turkish League: “I was quite surprised. It is more difficult than I expected. I thought that with the teams that were not at the top there would be a little more difference, but it is quite competitive. Stay? Well, I’m on loan until January, but they have to want me to stay too. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen a loan from January to January. It’s a bit strange, but I’m very happy there. They treat me great, with a lot of affection and I’m very happy”.
He explained why he went to Turkey: “At Milan we started a project with Fonseca, who called me. I was happy, we had good results. But suddenly everything started to get complicated, a new coach arrived. When it starts to look like you’re a problem, I prefer to leave. It was a chance to have a family experience at the biggest club in Turkey. I still have a contract with Milan, it’s not definitive. I think I should have thought things through more in the summer and now it’s no use changing it,” he said.
“I should have thought more about whether to leave Atletico or not. When you are not well, you make wrong decisions, not only in football. You can’t change these decisions, you have to move forward. It is clear that Turkey may seem a less competitive league, but playing in the Champions League is to continue competing in Europe and next year there is the World Cup. If I were to go back, would I make the decision to leave Atletico? No, surely I would not have taken it, especially when I come here (national team) and I understand that I did not know how to see the reality, that just when we were European champions there were more and more people who wanted me at Atletico. To return? It’s already difficult,” he concluded.