NEWS | 04/05/2017
The forward was the star of the latest instalment of the ‘Campo de estrellas’ program on Realmadrid TV.“Winning the European Cup is the ultimate dream for any youth player and any footballer. It was a long time since Real Madrid had won the Champions League and La Décima was hugely significant. It'll take a lot of beating that one because it was just incredible. We were losing, I got the chance to come on, we turned it around and it was an incredible feeling”.
Childhood
“I used to leave my backpack or books at home all the time because I would forget, but I always remembered to take a ball with me. I loved it ever since I was able to walk. I didn't think about anything else, I was always waiting for a chance to play football. I used to stay up really late as well watching the games, and even if it was a Champions League match that went to extra-time, nobody could get me to go to bed”.
First team
“Both Altético and Real Madrid called my dad, but at that time I wasn't doing too well at school and they wouldn't let me go until my grades improved. They both called back though and since Atleti was closer to home, I joined their football academy. It was the start of a period where I stopped enjoying football, I lost the love for it. I started thinking about choosing tennis, because I used to play that too, and I think I was better. I didn't have the head for it though, I was too impatient”.
My Real Madrid debut is one of the happiest memories of my life.
“I went to train with the Zona Norte and I think that year was crucial to my future because I started enjoying football again, I was scoring more goals than anyone. Then, after passing through Getafe, Madrid came back in again and told us they wanted me to go and play for them. It was a dream, but it was a case of choosing: keep being and kid and enjoy playing football or trying to become a professional. Since then, time has flown by”.
First pre-season
“I'd just arrived in Málaga for a holiday and they called me to tell me I was going to the United States. I didn't even know where my passport was. I felt nervous and I didn't really know what to do. I started crying and we jumped on the first train we could get. They're incredible memories. That pre-season was crazy. I came on for Ronaldo in the first game, I didn't know what I was doing. They said I had my head in the clouds, but they all treated me brilliantly”.
Juventus
“Real Madrid is full of the best players in the world and it's tough, so that's why I went away, to be able to come back one day. I got injured just as I got there and I didn't do pre-season. It was horrible, I really struggled. I started watching films and reading in Italian, I made an effort to adapt. In the end, we won the league and the cup, it couldn't have gone any better. I felt very loved by the fans. Fate put us up against Madrid in the Champions League and I really suffered. I got a goal, and I would have paid good money for it to have been against any other team. I'm indebted to Madrid and the Bernabéu”.
His return
“If Real Madrid didn't buy me back, that summer was my last chance to come and play here. I was at Euro 2016 and my agent called to say I was going back. They offered me a new contract and I could tell that it wasn't to sell me on, that they had faith me. It was a day I'd been waiting for for a long time. I'd gone away to get some experience. I couldn't contain my emotions on the day of my presentation”.
Morata Forward