Álvaro Morata
Álvaro Borja Morata Martín
Biography
Written by David Álvarez, Juan I. Irigoyen, Ladislao Moñino, Jon Rivas, Rafael Pineda and Juan L. Cudeiro for El País:
Midway through this season Álvaro Morata had already scored 19 goals for his club and seemed at the peak of his powers, but his form waned and he reached his lowest ebb in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund, when in the first minute he missed a one-on-one and collapsed to the turf. He was substituted at half-time. A few days later Morata contracted a rare viral illness called trigeminal neuralgia, which causes intense pain in the muscles of the face. In the final weeks of the season there were days when he could not even go out to train with his teammates because of the pain. Nor could he play golf, the sport he says relaxes him and helps him to escape the pressure and leave bad feelings behind. He feared for his place in Spain’s squad for the Euros, but Luis de la Fuente reassured him that his place was secure, even if he has not always been in Atlético’s starting XI.
