Alvaro Morata gave an update on his fitness ahead of the 2024 European Championship final after he was bizarrely injured by a security guard on Tuesday.
Spain defeated France in last night’s semi-final in Munich, after goals from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo left Les Bleus hanging after Randal Kolo Muani had opened the scoring.
Morata, La Roja’s captain, played 76 minutes in the match before being replaced in the closing stages by Mikel Oyarzabal.
However, he was involved in a strange incident during the on-field celebrations after Spain confirmed their place in Sunday’s final.
While a guard tried to stop a player on the field who was approaching the Spanish players, he slipped and collided with Morata’s knee.
Alvaro Morata has given an update on his fitness ahead of the Euro 2024 finals after he was bizarrely injured by a security guard on Tuesday after La Roja beat France 2-1 in the semi-final.
The striker looked pained in his face, a worrying sight for Luis de la Fuente and his team.
Morata reportedly sprained his knee, but the 31-year-old spoke about his condition as he left his hotel in Spain on Wednesday morning.
The Atletico Madrid star told reporters his availability for the final was not in jeopardy, according to Spanish outlet Marcawhile also seeing the humor in the incident.
“It was a yellow card and that was it,” Morata joked.
Morata was visibly upset as he left the pitch. The striker was due to undergo a scan today.
After their semi-final victory, De la Fuente said he was optimistic and that the incident was not too serious.
“We’ll wait until tomorrow (Wednesday) for Alvaro,” he said.
“We don’t think it’s anything, but his leg hurts. We think he’s fine.”
The incident involving Morata and Spain’s victory comes after he caused a stir in the Spanish training camp on the eve of the semi-final, threatening to quit the national team when the tournament ended due to ‘nonsense’ criticism.
The striker previously admitted that it would be ‘easiest’ for him to move abroad due to the poor treatment and spoke about the impact on his family, consisting of his wife and four young children.
He also floated the idea of leaving Atletico Madrid just a week after pledging his future to the club, fuming and saying that ‘in Spain there is no respect for anyone’.
His explosive interview with El Mundo caused a stir in his home country ahead of the match against France.
‘It could be [my last tournament with Spain]’, Morata told the outlet. ‘It’s a possibility that I don’t want to talk about too much, but it’s likely.’
The striker played for Real Madrid, Juventus and Chelsea before moving to Atlético in 2019, where he was initially loaned. Relations with Spanish fans are tense.
He was booed during Spain’s Euro 2020 campaign and was notably booed during a friendly against Brazil at the Bernabeu in March.
“In Spain it’s hard for me to be happy,” Morata said. “Without a doubt [I’m happier outside of Spain]. I’ve said it many times. Mainly because people respect me.
‘In Spain there is no respect for anything or anyone.’
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