Uproar before the semi-final

Spain’s captain threatens his own fans with resignation!

Alvaro Morata(Bild: AP/Associated Press)

Great excitement ahead of the European Championship semi-final between Spain and France! The captain of the "Furia Roya", Alvaro Morata, rails against the Spanish fans ahead of the important clash and even threatens to resign from the national team.

It is an interview that is making waves in Spain: Morata has, it seems, vented his frustration to Spain's second-largest daily newspaper "El Mundo". Words that do not go down well in the country. The English "DailyMail" also headlines: "Morata sparks a storm in the Spanish camp".

The background to this is the recurring hostility towards him. The Atlético Madrid goalkeeper already had to endure whistles from Spanish fans at the 2020 European Championship. After a wrongly reported yellow card in the match against Germany, which would have resulted in a ban in the semi-finals, Morata also had to put up with comments such as "I hope he gets it" or "We'd better play without him".

Alvaro Morata(Bild: AFP/APA/PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA)

"What kind of nonsense is that!"
Now Morata is firing back. "The other day people said I was crying on the touchline because I'd been yellow-carded. What kind of nonsense is that! I was crying because my country had reached the semi-finals with me as captain. I could never criticize someone who cries because of that. But I get criticized when I cut off my hand to win the European Championship," said the 31-year-old Spaniard, who is even thinking about retiring from the national team: "I'm trying to enjoy this tournament, as it could be my last games with the national team. What will happen in the future remains to be seen. It's a possibility that I don't want to talk too much about, but it's likely."

Morata added: "It's hard for me to be happy in Spain. Without a doubt, I'm happier outside Spain. I've said that many times. Especially because people respect me. In Spain, there is no respect for anything or anyone."

The 78-time international even assumes that his critics and fans will "miss him one day".

Future at Atlético?
When asked whether Morata even wants to stay at Atlético Madrid if he is so unhappy in Spain, he replied: "I've said that I really want to win trophies with Atlético, but then you have to weigh up whether it's worth it or not. The easiest thing would be not to play in Spain, for my life, for what I have to go through when I go on the road in our country. The easiest thing is to play abroad."

On Tuesday, Morata will lead his Spaniards onto the pitch in the semi-final against France - and could also silence an entire country if he sends Spain into the final or even to the European Championship title.