Álvaro Morata's presentation press conference
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00:00Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the press conference for the presentation of Alvaro
00:04Morata. So we start with the questions from Mario Sumar from Milanzi. Thank you, Nicola.
00:08Good morning, Salvatore. Good morning, Alvaro. So, Salvatore, let me ask you this. Among
00:13all the features that convinced Milan to choose Morata as striker for the next season, there
00:21are technical features, of course, but also human and leadership and spirit capabilities.
00:29Good morning, everyone. First of all, let me welcome the captain and champion of Europe,
00:38Alvaro Morata, with the Spanish national team. And what we were looking for regarding strikers
00:47was someone with a complete profile, someone who could deliver on the pitch and off the pitch.
00:57And Alvaro Morata is a great example for us of all these qualities, because with this
01:04young team, younger than last year, because Kier and Giroud left us, they had this leadership
01:10role. They guided the team, the younger players. They are not with us anymore. So
01:19Alvaro will have this further role, of course, on the pitch. What is important is
01:26what he does on the pitch, but off the pitch is also very important in terms of
01:32how he can take this further responsibility. When you're new, maybe you don't know the team
01:38very well yet. Maybe you don't know the club, the environment around you. But
01:45I'm not worried about any of these aspects, because what I've seen with him,
01:50I've seen his leadership in the European Championship. He has been the captain of
01:55Spain. He won, so he's a winner, not just with his national team, but also with clubs
02:00where he played. He has great experience. He won something, well, actually a lot. So
02:09this is an added value for our team. And then there is not much I can say about him on the
02:15pitch. We all know Alvaro very well. And with this new coach that we have, we will have
02:23a specific identity on the pitch, with a more offensive type of football,
02:26with bells, of course. When I discussed about it with Alvaro, I discussed the
02:32best position in this team is the position of the striker,
02:39because everything will work around you, I said to him. You will have players around you.
02:45And as I said previously, you just need to be focused. That's what I told him. And then
02:49you will be the one scoring goals. But it's not just about scoring.
02:54There is much more that is very important. And we are very happy about this.
03:03Because, you know, this is something beautiful, used to be normal. So it's going to be great.
03:09And as I said in the first press conference with coach Fonseca,
03:14God created the world in seven days. This is the fourth day. We're coming.
03:19We are feeling a lot of energy. Now I'm leaving the floor to Alvaro and he will say something more.
03:28Thank you. Good morning, Alvaro. The presentation of Zlatan was well-deserved,
03:37right and in-depth. But let me ask you this. The first time that you heard about AC Milan,
03:43about this tangible possibility, did you think about it as a professional or was your yes
03:50guided by a gut reaction, by your instinct? Good morning, everyone.
03:57First of all, thank you, everyone, for the effort of choosing me, of having me here.
04:05I had the opportunity to come back to Italy after these years.
04:09And I answered the phone, Zlatan was calling me and then I talked with a coach,
04:17with the directors, and there was not much to think about, because there was no other team
04:22that really wanted to have me like AC Milan. So they put a lot of effort.
04:31I failed as a player of AC Milan before the European Cup already, and I'm very proud of this.
04:38I'm that type of person that needs to feel trust, also with his gut reaction.
04:48I hope maybe that it will not happen, but maybe one day in the gym he will say to me,
04:54well, you're performing badly. I hope it will not happen. But in any case, I know that I can still
05:01achieve the best in my career and I will be willing to accept his suggestions from Zlatan.
05:07And let me also thank you for being here at AC Milan with Zlatan and many other players.
05:17I talked with Alberto and the other people working here, and it is incredible.
05:21It's difficult to find a club with such an organization, with all this support.
05:28So I'm eager to play. I cannot promise titles, cups, it depends on many different factors,
05:36but I will run as much as possible. I will press as much as possible. I will try to help
05:40all of my teammates. I will help them giving their best because a leader is someone who can
05:47do something more, not just scoring 50 or 60 goals, is someone who can do something more for
05:52the rest of the team. And this is what I will try to do. Beppe Di Stefano from Sky. Hi, Alvaro.
05:57First of all, welcome. You're one of the very few players in Europe that played in Milan,
06:02now in London, in Madrid, on both sides of Madrid. So you know what pressure is.
06:10Let me ask you, in the past you had this idea to wear this jersey of AC Milan.
06:20By the way, Pippinzaghi is turning 51 today. He played in Juventus and then in Milan,
06:24like you. And you have a symbol of world football, like Zlatan, not just of Milan.
06:30Is there anyone in the history of Milan that you would like to imitate?
06:36I was thinking about this, this summer, when everything started.
06:45To me, one of the greatest players that I wanted to receive the jersey
06:49and the shoes of, which is difficult to achieve, I know.
06:54Someone I'm very proud of, really, is Zlatan. So I'm very happy to be close to him today here.
07:03Then I talked with Kaká, with Shevchenko, with Pato, with David Beckham.
07:12I spent some time with him and he told me that he felt something different compared to the others
07:18when he was at AC Milan. So I know that in the world of football,
07:25long history has already been written with these colours and this club.
07:30Let me ask you one question, Ibra. He's already speaking as a Rossonero, so this is
07:36someone that convinced you because he has this feeling with the AC Milan environment.
07:42When did the idea start with you of choosing him? Because there were other strikers,
07:47of course. Or did you actually choose Morata from the very beginning?
07:52Alvaro is just being himself and this is what matters the most. And then, with all the names
07:59that he mentioned, we have a great tradition that is part of AC Milan's history and I'm sure that
08:07he will be part of it, with the support of teammates and of the club. And then the name of Alvaro.
08:13When we felt that we had the opportunity to have him, we made the effort immediately.
08:23I wanted to convince him, I told him I can bring you happiness. If you will be happy,
08:27everything will go well, I'm sure of it. As a former player, I know that the way you feel
08:31off the pitch has an impact on how you perform on the pitch. And then, it depends on the training,
08:38the feeling that you have with teammates, with the colleagues, with the coach.
08:46So, in this sense, I think it will not be difficult for him because the team
08:54is very easygoing, it's a good team. That's why, for example, with Pavlovic,
09:01we had this type of approach. This is what we need. I don't want to have a team of people that
09:07is too good. There must be a balance without being too good. And I'm sure that the presence
09:13of Alvaro in this group will be easily accepted. We were in the US and I know that everybody was
09:22already waiting for him because they know who Alvaro is. They are eager to train with him,
09:29to meet him and know him better. I'm here and I cannot say that I know him 100%.
09:39We met other times through common friends, but now we met personally, so I know him better now.
09:45And as I said, it's important to just be yourself. And it will be easy because he already played in
09:51Italy. In his personal experience, he played very well, so he's not someone who needs to
09:59grow or with a further growth margin. He just needs to feel well and do his performances.
10:06Other players have a growth margin, but Alvaro has already reached this top level. He's a complete
10:12player already, with more experience, and it will be easier for him to play because
10:17the more experience you have, the easier it is to play.
10:24But still, we are 200% sure that he will be part of this group in a very positive way and
10:31they are organizing the team in the way we want. And as I said, last year when I wasn't here,
10:40the other leaders created the base for this group. And this time, we need to focus on
10:47details. And Alvaro was one of the details that we missed together with Pavlovic.
10:52And now we are there. We want to create a competitive team.
11:03A competitive team in order to reach our goals. This is fundamental. And that's part of his DNA.
11:11Milan, he's a winner. He is someone with goals set in his mind. And then we have
11:19nice players in AC Milan as well, good looking like him. Then Pavlovic will need to grow
11:25hair a bit longer. And that will be part of his character, I think. And then he just needs to
11:32train and feel well. And then the willingness is fundamental. And we saw this willingness in him.
11:37And let me thank his agents as well. They were available. They wanted to make
11:47this transfer come true. And now we are here today. Andrea Ramazzotti for Gazzetta dello Sport.
11:53Hi Alvaro. Welcome. You arrive at AC Milan at 31 and a half years after your best season in terms of
12:03goal scored, 21 scored this year. And you come here after winning the European Cup, especially
12:11with the Spanish national team. So you're over 30. But your career looks on the rise,
12:21regardless of the fact that, as Zlatan said, you already have many trophies and experience
12:26that other players don't have. So what do you expect in terms of successes, in terms of personal
12:32satisfaction in this further moment? I expect to win. I don't care about scoring 50 or 60 goals.
12:41You know it already. There are players who make millions of goals, but then they don't win nothing.
12:49So the most important thing in the end is to win. You need to enjoy the journey, of course.
12:54You need to understand that this is a team effort with many great players in this team already that
12:59will give us all the chance to score many goals. And I can tell you already that
13:08yesterday night when I was at Milanello
13:12and here this morning, I felt this nice atmosphere and I'm sure that things can only go well.
13:20And as you said, it's important to score goals, every year more goals. But this is not what I'm
13:26worried about. I'm here because I want to bring to AC Milan the second star on the jersey.
13:34I want to have an even longer history of AC Milan with my presence here,
13:40because I know that these are the final years of my personal career, but the best ones,
13:44because now I'm a mature player. Federico Saladazone. Hi Alvaro, welcome, first of all.
13:50You said something about not reaching your top level earlier on, but as other colleagues already
13:56said, you won the European Cup as a captain, you scored 36 goals and eight assists.
14:04But how do you feel? Of course, there is always a growth margin. Do you think there is a better
14:08version of Morata that you can still reach? So the one that you are nowadays is already the best?
14:13I'm sure I can improve. Of course, it's not part of my character. It's
14:19not what I say usually, but I can tell you that I'm very happy.
14:25I'm very glad to be here. And people in AC Milan will see that it was a good choice to have me.
14:32They made an effort, but it was the right decision to choose Morata.
14:36And the way they made this decision was also correct.
14:40A question from Rai. Hi Alvaro, welcome back to Italy.
14:46So what type of Italian championship do you see now compared to the past? And here in Milan,
14:51there are already, of course, derbies. And last year with Atletico, you had the great
14:56satisfaction of winning against Inter Milan. So what is the Italian championship that you have
15:03this time? It grew very much compared to the past, so it becomes more and more beautiful every
15:10year. I remember 10 years ago when watching the Serie A, it was much different, more tactical,
15:18fewer goals scored. But now all teams are very well prepared. And then it was a great
15:25satisfaction last year to win against Inter Milan. A question for Zlatan. Let me ask you,
15:34the championship is about to start. Now we have Morata.
15:38So AC Milan is convincing, played very well in the US. Is it growing in the right way?
15:47The team is reacting. Is my Italian grammar correct? Is reacting correctly?
15:55With a new coach, with new staff, there are many new things that players need to adapt to.
16:06But they are reacting very well to all of this. They are playing well. And then, of course,
16:11day after day, you have a stronger identity given by coach Fonseca. And the players
16:22were not available, all of them, from day one because of the European Cup
16:29and because of other tournaments that prolonged the holidays of some
16:36players. But slowly the team is gathering. On Tuesday we have the Berlusconi trophy,
16:43so it will be a further opportunity to play another game, to
16:52create our team. Regarding Alvaro, I don't know
16:56if you want to ask this question. He's ready to play today already because he's fit.
17:02So the team is slowly reaching the completeness, so everybody will be available.
17:09And then, after these three games in the US and a mix of different players, younger ones,
17:18other players, coming back to AC Milan after other tournaments, I saw positive vibes.
17:27Then, of course, the results should be left aside because they don't mean much. The fact that we won
17:33those matches, official matches, are important, but we are optimists. With a bit of patience,
17:40when the group will be complete, I'm sure that everything will be fine. And then, on the 17th of
17:46August, everything will actually start, what we are all waiting for. Thank you very much.
17:52Scarchi from La Stampa. Good morning, Alvaro. How do you feel
17:57when you think about having Juventus as an opponent?
18:04And do you think it will be the main rival for this Scudetto together with Inter Milan?
18:08Well, of course, I feel grateful when I think about Juventus. I thank them for everything that
18:14they did for me in the past, but this is life. Now we play for AC Milan, so friends will still be
18:20friends, but we will be there, we will play our match against each other, and then we will say
18:28hi to each other, or maybe not, because we will be angry because we lost, or maybe they will be angry
18:32because they lost against us, but that's nothing special. I thank them for everything that they did
18:39for me in the past, but now it's a different journey, it's a new adventure. Francesco Letizia,
18:44Sport Italia. Welcome, Alvaro. This Milan looks like your Spain a little bit, with Nico Williams,
18:54with Lamin Yamal, with Dani Olmo, that look like Ciuquese, Leao and Pulisic, with Fabian Ruiz,
19:01that could be similar to Reindeers, then we don't have Rodri, but this maybe is a question for
19:08Ibrahimović. You said that we are at the fourth day of the world creation, because God took seven
19:13days to create the world. What should we expect from the final three days? As for the last three
19:18days, well, let's see, it takes patience. We are working, we are following our planning, the strategy
19:28that we had from the very beginning, so let's see. If I tell you everything now, then there will be
19:34no surprise, so it will not be as fun as it could be. So, as I said, we are at the fourth day of our
19:42seven-day-long world creation and we have great ambitions, we are aiming very high,
19:49we are working very much,
19:55we all feel ready and let's see. Daniele Longo, Calciomercato.com. Actually, I didn't answer the
20:03previous question. Some players can be very similar, as you said. There are players that
20:14could be among the best players in the world already or will become among the best ones soon.
20:21Very similar, also in terms of mindset, but I need to stop here,
20:26otherwise we prepare the other teams and they know what to do when they play against us.
20:29But yes, there are many similarities between Spain and AC Milan, but the most important thing
20:37is to become part of this group. They will realize the type of person that I am
20:43and as I said, I want to win. I don't care about anything else, I don't care about scoring goals,
20:48I don't want to be a protagonist, I just want to win and this is why I decided to come here to AC
20:54Milan. Welcome Alvaro, you were talking about becoming part of the group, which will be easier
21:00because you know someone already like Teo Hernandez, you met him at Real, you spent some holidays
21:07together in Sardinia, so what do you think about him compared to the past and what did he tell you
21:12about AC Milan, about what is about to come for the next season? I always had a very nice relationship
21:19with Teo, he's a very fun and open-minded person, he asks you anything possible all the time,
21:29so it was very nice to spend some holidays with him and we met, yes, two or three days,
21:36we played some sports together and he was loading, you know, for the next season,
21:43he's a fundamental player for this team and he's also able to take another step forward and become
21:52even better because of the potential that he has to become the best one in his role in the world
22:01and I'm sure this is about to happen and I will try to remind him about this every morning,
22:06the fact that he needs to be the best one. Christian Pradelli, good morning Alvaro and
22:12welcome, let me ask you a question about two coaches, the one that you will meet here,
22:19Fonseca and one that loved you very much here in Italy, so what do you think about the way Fonseca
22:27plays with his team and considering that there is another person that loved you very much here
22:32in Italy, I'm talking about Massimiliano Allegri, the question is, did you talk with him,
22:36maybe just to have a few suggestions because he knows this environment of AC Milan very well.
22:45Yes, I talked with our coach several times,
22:49talked with him very long, we couldn't meet in person because I was busy with the European Cup,
22:56but as we previously said, we didn't have much further information to take the right decision.
23:05As soon as we settled down two or three things and Milan made the effort to have me,
23:10I felt honoured and I really wanted to come here and Fonseca's ideas are similar to the
23:14ideas that I like and the things that I can do to give my best. I didn't have the chance to talk
23:23with Massimiliano, I think he had a complicated time and maybe he's not thinking about football
23:29in this moment, maybe he's enjoying his holidays, but whenever I will have the chance to meet him,
23:34it will be fun to talk with him because we met many years ago and he really supported me in the
23:39past, so I hug him of course when I can. TitanSport, one man. Welcome back.
23:47You said that you feel happier here in Italy, you feel Italy as your home,
23:59in Turin or in San Siro. You know, supporters are not always very friendly,
24:05sometimes they can boo their players, it can be tough for the players,
24:11but people here like you, so maybe it will be different for you.
24:17They welcomed you and maybe supporters of Juventus welcome you, as long as you don't
24:24score against Juventus of course. In your family, maybe you talk more in Italian than in Spanish,
24:31what language do you use the most? Well, it's part of football. When you go to a theatre,
24:38you pay the ticket and you don't enjoy the show, then you're not satisfied and, you know,
24:45our fans do the same, they convey their emotions, so when they boo us, it's right when we deserve it,
24:54but not when it's not, and then you have the supporters of other teams insulting you,
24:58of course, but this is part of football. When you are in this theatre or in this pitch,
25:06you know that there is a difference compared to what people say in those moments and what people
25:10say somewhere else in town. No one had any lack of respect for me on the street when they meet him.
25:19Maybe they say something about the Fantacaccio tournament, but they are very well educated,
25:26in any case. So, as for the language that we use at home, when I'm angry, I speak Spanish,
25:35when she's angry, she speaks Italian, but then with the kids, maybe we use English,
25:40so we're very open-minded about different languages. Nicola Crespi, Milan News.
25:44Hi Alvaro, welcome to Milan. In life, just like in football, trust, enthusiasm is fundamental.
25:50How can Milan support you to find this trust, to live these great feelings with football
25:57once again, and maybe new feelings as well in San Siro with the Rossoneri?
26:04I'm here and I want to be honest, I wanted to be here 100% because it's a great emotion to have
26:10Milan that wants to have you, it's a great emotion to have Zlatan that says that he wants to have
26:15you on this team. It's not just about taking more money, it's not just about relaxing and
26:21not giving my best, no. I'm in the right place at the right age to play another five or six years
26:30at the highest possible level in order to win. Good morning Alvaro, so you're here after Olivier
26:41Giroud and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, you have jersey number seven which belonged to Andriy Shevchenko.
26:46How much is this stimulating you and how much do you feel that this is actually a burden for you?
26:52I don't even need to think about this, it's obvious.
26:57It's not just about the number seven, it's also about being in Milanello and seeing all the
27:03players that played there before you, including Olivier, he has been my teammate at Chelsea.
27:13I forgot to mention him, he's still playing in America. I had the chance to learn from him,
27:20to share part of our careers together and I'm very happy about this. When everything was settled
27:29down, I remember Zlatan sent me a video and I felt goosebumps because he saw the best goals
27:37scored in the history of football and of Milan. Most of these best players in the world were in
27:43AC Milan and I felt these great feelings about this new adventure in the best way.
27:50Hi Alvaro, first of all welcome back. Last year with Atletico Madrid you were one of the few
27:57teams that put Inter Milan into difficulty, which is a very strong team. Maybe you know
28:03how to compete with them. You talked about the second star, which is the goal of AC Milan,
28:08your winning mindset, your experience. Do you think that they can be an added value for this
28:14group, which is quite young compared to other big clubs? You have many young players that are still
28:19growing, so maybe what was lacking was a bit of leadership because Kier and Giroud are not in the
28:24team anymore, so you can be fundamental also in the dressing room. You did this with the Spanish
28:31national team as a captain already. Yes, I think that in the end you need to feel that you want to
28:42win, you need to know how to do it. In the last European Cup they told us that we were too young,
28:48they told us that it was impossible. There were other better teams, but in the end you need to
28:54believe in yourself, you need to work very hard. Even when you are 16 or 17 you can still be
28:59fundamental part of a big team. You have something that the other ones don't have,
29:05so in the end you can reach any goal. This is why I'm eager to become part of this group
29:12and every morning I will remind everyone how much they can do for this team. I will remind
29:20them about their value, but then it's important to see how the other people work. This is what
29:26I do in the dressing room, I want to see the other people dreaming, I want to see the other
29:29players happy. This is another positive element that I'm sure will be useful for this team.
29:37Good morning and welcome to AC Milan. Experts say that Morata let the team play well, let the
29:48teammates play well, but let me ask you this, what type of team is necessary to let Morata
29:54play well? What is the type of team that you need to give your best? A team that is convinced with
29:59strong ideas and with the qualities that we have in this team. I think that what we need to do
30:07is to take the pitch away from the other team. We need to press very much with 11, with 10 players
30:16on the other side of the pitch with the right intention, following the lead of the coach.
30:25When you are in the area, you press and you keep on pressing all the time,
30:30then it's very difficult for the other ones to play. We need to work very well
30:37when we have the ball and when we don't. And I know because I saw many matches that
30:42the other players can do this very well. Hi Alvaro, welcome back.
30:50You're the player that any coach would like to have. Do you have an explanation for this? Is there
30:55an answer to this fact that everybody wants to have you? Maybe because I'm not selfish.
31:03I always bring a positive mindset. And as you previously said,
31:09I'm a central striker. But when I'm on the bench,
31:16it's fine. I will be the first one to hug him. Even if I have to run 100 meters to celebrate
31:22a goal scored by the other striker. So I want to enjoy all moments.
31:27When you feel very confident about the relationship with the other players,
31:34you face many difficult situations together. Then you can create this sort of feeling that
31:40you have in a family with good and with bad moments. And this is what gives you the chance
31:45to win in the end. Last question. Hi Alvaro, let's go back to your experience with the
31:51Spanish national team. You were fundamental for the growth of Lamin Yamal. There is a player,
31:57Francesco Camarda, about the same age. What do you think he still needs to reach the level of
32:02Yamal from your perspective? I met him today. I greeted him. I know him, of course. I watched
32:10some games when he played. And I knew that I was about to come here. And
32:18there is something I like to do. I like to think about myself when I was that young. I was playing
32:25Real Madrid. And he's already scoring much, much more than I could back then. So I just want to
32:33help him, let him grow. And he will be the future for sure. Or maybe the present. Why not? Because
32:40you can never know what happens in football. I'm talking about him. And then maybe I will be on
32:45the bench and he will be in the starting eleven. Of course, we can play together as well. This is
32:51something I want to say to the coach. Just joking here. I really want to help the guys. And I like
32:59making jokes with younger people. But I can get angry when they don't do things in the right way.
33:04Thank you very much, everyone. I wish a fruitful work. Thank you very much.
33:08Francesco Camarda needs to focus on this. This is important. Thank you, Zlatan.