Alvaro Morata has told his side of the story regarding what went wrong for him at AC Milan, claiming he experienced things he has not before in football.
Morata joined Milan from Atletico Madrid in the 2024 summer transfer window and was meant to be the experienced leader of Paulo Fonseca’s attack. However, things didn’t work out and both ended up leaving before the end of the winter window.
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A loan switch to Galatasaray followed for the Spaniard, who then spoke during the ‘El Larguero’ segment on Cadena SER a few months ago and explained why he thinks joining Milan was the wrong move.
It is something that is believed to have angered the club, or at least as they were then. Now, with his former coach Massimiliano Allegri at the helm and a new sporting director in Igli Tare, there is a small chance he could benefit from a clean slate.
Morata speaks out
The striker has given an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport in which he spoke about what happened during a ‘strange’ season for him personally and also what the future might hold, given the big changes at Milan.
You won three trophies, one with Milan and two with Galatasaray…
“And we hope to bring home another one on Sunday, the day of the Nations League final, it would be fantastic. The generation of phenomena did the European Championship-World Cup-European Championship, we can do the Nations League-European Championship-Nations League.
“It’s not the same thing but it’s not to be thrown away, also because the Nations League has grown, winning it is tough. In the semi-final we have France, a great team.”
Let’s take a step back and analyse this strange season for you…
“A lot of things happened, some very quickly, too quickly, complicated for me to manage, but in the end I’m happy.”
What happened? You arrived at Milan as a European champion, full of energy and desire…
“Yes, and in my opinion we also played great matches, things weren’t going as bad as it seemed or was said. But then things happened in there that I had never experienced in my career and that I prefer to keep to myself, I didn’t feel comfortable anymore and before becoming a problem I left.”
Milan’s season was very negative, what was the problem?
“I can’t say. Sudden changes from one day to the next are never easy. If you start playing with a certain mentality and then suddenly change radically, it can go very well for you or not. Maybe the new path chosen at the beginning of the season needed a bit of time to be beaten.
“For the 6 months I was there, I can say a few things: the first is that it’s not true that, as I read around, I would have regretted the choice. Never. It was an honour to wear a historic shirt like Milan’s. The second is that if it’s true that we weren’t consistent in the league, we played good games.
“We won here at the Bernabeu, we lost against Napoli due to minimal details, we did well in the derby… But they decided to change and there’s not much else to say.”
You are an experienced person, did you immediately realise that things were not going well?
“Yes. Especially in terms of communication. I try to be respectful with everyone, but there are certain things that at least I don’t like and for this reason, to avoid creating problems, I left.”
Now there are Tare and Allegri. You are on loan at Galatasaray until December 31st. Have you spoken to them?
“No, or at least not in the new role. Because I often hear from Max because of the relationship that binds us. I saw Tare a couple of times at dinner with friends but nothing more.
“I’m happy for them and for Milan: they are great professionals and if they took them it means that Milan wants to get back to winning and being important right away and I hope everything goes great for them.”
Cpuld you possibly return?
“I honestly don’t know, but they are the ones who have to make decisions to make a very competitive team. For now, zero contacts. It’s the first time I have this loan in line with the calendar year, we’ll see. I can only say that I had a great time in Istanbul.”
In 2026 there is the World Cup and you want to be in the best shape…
“Of course. We’ll see what the future holds.”
Man you played so poorly, just admit it
“…we did well in the derby… But they decided to change and there’s not much else to say…”
You see, that is where the problem lies, everything was going well, the players conspired to remove Conceicao, you can tell he wasn’t part of the conspiracy.
Conceicao is a good coach, but Calabria’s loyalists ensured they did the bidding of their captain even while on exile.
Morata talking about them removing Fonseca not Conceicao.
Presumably he didn’t agree and didn’t see eye to eye with Conceicao when he arrived. So asked to leave too.
Sorry, he was under Fonseca.
But, the same conspiracy was there also during Fonseca as well.
He is Milan, born and bred, you want us to take the side of a guy who came in and disrespected the entire hierarchy and then to top it off got completely out coached by Italians in the Coppa Italia final? Get real.
What did Fonseca or Conceicao do to disrespect the heirachy?
When your so called Milan born an bred captain lead his goons to a music concert before a match, was that not disrespectful to the club and coach?
But we must take side with him of course he’s Milan born and bred.
I just got real.
Fact: No coach out coached Fonseca, neither did they out coach Conceicao either.
The players simply wanted them sacked.
The only trophy we won was when the players still wanted to play for Conceicao.
There was no way we would not qualify for the UCL and also played so poorly in the coppa final, the players didn’t want to win the trophy, they wanted Conceicao out, he also understood this and was also ready to leave.
He complained on some occasions that the players refused to assimilate what he is teaching them.
They want to a concert – a concert, not a night out with two glamour models like Calabria’s replacement.
And the concert was performed by….a Milan fan.
I know, I know, what’s all this with fans and being connected to a place.
Just have a group of mercenaries.
Typical Italian style mentality, it’s permissible because it was an Italian concert and a Milan fan attended by the Italian captain.
Sure, Leao has a concert by an “AC Milan” fan artist in Portugal, would you permit him to attend?
Spewing trash to support mediocrity, that’s why our league is backwards.
Stop the Italian hype and face reality, other leagues are light years ahead.
You really are coming across as being not a fan of Italians.
So why are you following an Italian club?
I support Leao and all of the players who delivered that remarkable Scudetto.
You simply don’t deserve these players. They deliver a Scudetto for you and you sit there in your armchair insulting them.
Why do you bother supporting a team where you don’t respect the players who play and who have played for the team?
Not just Italians my friend, I’m not a fan o the band wagon who aren’t objective and constructive in their assertions.
And if they are Italians, then why not? Be my guest baby.
This conspiracy of yours is not “conspiracying” at all 😂😆
Let everyone of us rest, forget about what has happened and hope for the best in the coming season or are we in the new season already?
You should be resting buddy, but here you are busy responding to my comment.
Rest buddy, forget about what has happened and hope for the best in the coming season or are we in the new season already?
If Calabria, the club captain, had ‘loyalists’, isn’t that a good thing?
Is loyalty the basis for everything?
Or is it changing your mind every 5 mins?
One Italian, Florenzi encouraged his loyalist Tonali into betting and almost ruined his career.
Calabria, the club captain leading such an outing and is supported by you.
Having loyalists was not my complain, it was being a bad influence and leader to them.
Go ask legendary captains when Milan was Milan, ask the Maldini, ask Ambosini if such is a captain behavior.
Supporting mediocrity just to win a foolish and lame argument.
There’s no way you would have said said Ambrosini met your standards back in the day. That is rose tinted glasses.
They went to a concert. A concert.
Children go to concerts on school nights.
We need more clarity cause me from my own observation throughout the season theo didn’t play like he did , very little effort in defense and defending but attacking he wanted to break Paolo record , few times he left Dodo to run passed me and I know that’s not possible how can dodo run pass Theo , it was a very weird season thank God is over
The problem isn’t the season, it is the club.
A lot of things are not right at the club, the players act without respect for the club, no order, they behave like they are bigger than the club and violate rules at will, sometimes I wish these players will go to other top clubs and behave the way they do and see if such will be tolerated, Milan has been run like a small club for a very long time.
Very unprofessional backroom staff, lab, medical, fitness and all, you can easily tell we are not well run.
They also hire coaches and not give them the autonomy to coach and manage them.
Pioli could pet these players and let them get away with whatever they did and that was why the players loved him and fought for him till the very end even though it was evident he had lost his mojo and had been figured out by other managers, the team kept on with just sheer determination and fight to keep him.
Problem started when Fonseca came, he tried to establish an order, and the players hated him for that and did everything to get him sacked. Remember the cooling break incident by Leao and Theo? That was the height of it, a clear message of rebellion, yet the club didn’t want to sanction a punishment against them, but Fonseca ensured they sat on the bench as a punishment. They eventually frustrated him, and he was sacked.
Now, Conceicao came in and also tried the same approach to establish order but failed embarrassingly despite being a really good coach. I find it difficult to imagine that before a match, the captain and his gang will without permission or regard for authority, attend a musical concert.
Yet, the coach fielded the captain in the match out of respect for the club, but the captain and the usual suspects Theo and Leao were bent on frustrating the match and were subbed at halftime, we eventually won the match and the captain made some unpleasant remarks to the coach which led to the public burst-up, but until now, the players who went for that concert are yet to be punished by the club, and the coach who also tried to correct some anomalies has also been sacked.
Now, Allegri seems to follow Pioli’s style of pampering players (Leao precisely), which is not particularly a bad thing, I just hope while at it, he doesn’t fail to establish some needed principles and order.
At some point, someone is gotta be the sacrifice if we must get it right, but my question is, how many coaches shall we sacrifice before we do the right thing?
I love Leao and Theo so much and also Calabria, they happen to have the most influence in this team, I really don’t want to loose them, but if loosing them makes us better, I’m all for it any day and time.
Not a big fan of Allegri honestly but he is not a pushover so I don’t see that kind of attitude flying with him either
I know he’s not a push over though, and I hope for the best.
In as much as having so much love for Theo and Leao, I’m beginning to have a feeling that their exit may bring a desired change in the players attitude.
You show no respect for the players!
You demand they show respect – the players who won YOU a Scudetto – but show no respect in return.
You side with some dodgy businessmen running the club into the ground and some blow on managers one of whom openly disrespected the club captain – your club’s captain – on at least two very public occasions.
The club has no future whilst it treats the players like this. The club is the players NOT the other way round.
Listen,
A club who signs a player and his brother on the demand by the player, and paid their salaries only for the player to leave the club for free without any empathy or obligation to assist the club raise much need finance in a dire time. They didn’t reciprocate any form of love, affection or respect.
A club that paid a players debt to Lille, what else do you want these guy to do for the players to show respect, maybe they should help them impregnate thier wives.
Conceicao’s public burstup was a REACTION to a remark by the so-called captain after winning the match because he was substituted.
But as usual italian style, nobody even the club out of foolish respect does not punish players when they err, but the media will wash the manager for reacting to a statement by a supposed captain who should embody a different aura.
Calabria is not captain material and would fight any coach who exposes this.
Go to England, will a captain publicly oppose his coach?
But in Italy, whoever you are, as long as you’re not Italian, we will use a mafia rebellious style over you, be you club owner or coach.
Not ‘captain material’?
What does that even mean given he did IN FACT captain the side successfully for 4 years including to the Scudetto after Romagnoli was dropped.
It’s just more nonsense opinions based on people’s imaginations. I’m sure the captain in your head was better but don’t disrespect a player who served the club.
Sometimes, even in silence, a fool may be considered to be wise.
Just a piece of advice.
Sorry for the lengthy post
“But then things happened in there that I had never experienced in my career and that I prefer to keep to myself, I didn’t feel comfortable anymore and before becoming a problem I left.”
Say what you want about Morata and Bennacer’s performances but the truth is they were never bad seeds and Morata especially was always a true professional. Yet they didn’t hesisate for one second to leave the club during the winter mercato.
Calabria played for the club for a decade and was always exemplary behaviour wise and became a captain, yet we saw a clear example of frustration during that clash with Conceição (and during his celebration with Bologna he clearly expressed his lack of love for Conceição).
Emerson, a player who barely came this season, also didn’t seem to have an issue leaving during the winter and his departure was only postponed because of his injury.
There have been rumors of Pulišić clashing with Conceição and despite the latter leaving, the former still put his renewal on hold.
And finally you have Reijnders who also seem open to leave the club (a club which didn’t hesitate to greenlight his transfer once a good offer came).
You can say many things about this or that player, this or that coach, but one thing is clear: the management SUCCESSFULLY created a toxic environment.
Can you be more specific please, what exactly constitutes the “toxic environment” successfully created by the management?
Everything was fine until the coaches demanded more discipline within the team.
Conceicao was a hero, he was a messiah and brought belief that we can play good football until he stretched status quo for things to be done more professionally as it’s done in big and ambitious clubs.
Look at Chelsea, they faced similar problems for years because they were pampered by the owner, they could set a coach up for the sack, and until they got rid of those crop of players, they couldn’t win anything, that is where we find ourselves.
At the end, we needed someone in the box to rack up goals, so that Leao and Pulisic don’t take all the load. Moratta was simply not that person, and never was tbh
Exactly. Everyone else but our management knew Morata isn’t a +10 goals per season -type of player in Serie A. He was the wrong player to replace Giroud.