Alvaro Morata: From Atletico Madrid ball boy to January signing? The Chelsea striker’s career could soon come full circle
Atltico Madrid is a club that evokes bittersweet memories for lvaro Morata.On one hand, its the place where his path towards becoming a professional footballer started to take shape. On the other, its somewhere he ultimately felt badly treated and compelled to leave.
6Alvaro Morata could leave Chelsea this monthMixed memories will no doubt have been running through the strikers mind these past few days as he is offered as a loan option to the Colchoneros in an effort to find minutes and form.Moratas dream of making it as a senior with Atleti was abandoned by choice more than a decade ago, yet ironically enough, the red and white shirt now offers him his best possible chance of salvation.The strikers story starts in the Atltico academy where he was first moulded as a player, and spent nights at the Vicente Caldern as a ball boy.There is even a photograph of a tiny Morata begging then Espanyol keeper Carlos Kameni for his gloves at the end of a visit from the Catalan side to Atletis ground in the early 2000s.
6Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone.It was there he forged a relationship with a talented young midfielder called Jorge Resurreccin, who later became an Atleti icon under a nickname Koke.Their friendship persists to this day, but unlike Koke, by the time his teens drew near Morata was no longer enjoying life at Atltico, frustrated not to be playing. I stopped enjoying it, I wasnt playing a lot, and I didnt have a good relationship with team-mates, with the exception of Koke and one other, the Chelsea man explained on Spanish TV years later.
6Morata challenges his friend Koke in the 2014 Champions League final.At the age of 12 he made the tough call of leaving Atleti behind. Fortunately, after a brief spell at Getafe the forward showed so much promise Real Madrid decided to pick him up. Mirroring the path taken by Ral 15 years earlier, Atletis loss proved to be Madrids gain: Morata steamrolled his way through the Real ranks and made his first team debut by the time he was 18.The few seasons that followed were a whirlwind of achievements and benchmarks: his first goals as a Madrid senior, first starting spot against FC Barcelona, and impressing on the international stage as top scorer in Spains 2013 UEFA Under-21 Championship win all suggested Morata was the real deal.He would then push on to establish himself as a top flight striker with both Juventus then Madrid again, and though there wasnt always a regular starting spot, maintained a solid goals-per-minute ratio.
6Morata celebrates scoring for Juventus.Moratas move to Chelsea in 2017, where he would be the first choice striker following the departure of Diego Costa, was supposed to offer him the chance to unleash all of that untapped promise. Six goals in his first six Premier League appearances had everyone who has followed his development excited, but then through injury, a lack of confidence and who knows what else, the wheels fell off.Now, with Maurizio Sarri not even granting him a place on the bench, it is clear there is no way back for the 26-year-old at Stamford Bridge. The best thing for him now would be to find a club and coach that truly wants him, and can provide the confidence strikers live on. Enter Atleti. Enter Cholo.Diego Simeone, a coach who knows how to fire a player up better than most, has long been an admirer.Morata was one of his ideal choices to replace Diego Costa before the veteran returned to Spain. He even brazenly told the Spaniard come with me to Atltico as he walked past him on the sidelines during a 2017 Madrid derby at the Santiago Bernabu.
6Morata celebrates scoring against Atletico at the Wanda Metropolitano.It didnt happen then, but with Costa injured, Atleti struggling to find another suitable partner for Antoine Griezmann, and Morata determined to play regularly again, it may just finally happen now.In a purely football sense the move would make perfect sense for all parties: Simeone would get a player he wants, who can provide the combination of movement, link-up play and ability to hold up the ball that none of his number nines other than Costa offer. Considering Costas poor form this season, it could even be an upgrade.
6Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has made his mind up on MorataFor the hungry Morata, it would be a chance to right a wrong from his past at the same time as proving his worth in the present, at a club still in the La Liga title race and desperate to play the Champions League final held at their ground.A chance to reunite with his old mate Koke, who said last week he is a brilliant footballer who would be a welcome addition. Atleti is the strikers preferred destination, the Metropolitano already a ground that has proven lucky for him. Last year Morata noted that he would one day tell his kids he was the guy to score the first ever away goal at the stadium, and not because of my Real Madrid past. If it wasnt such a financially complicated operation for the La Liga side, the deal would likely be sealed already.Atleti are close to hitting their salary limit for this season, and certainly cant afford to pay Moratas wages: they have to offload players before bringing him in.A skilled hand from the Colchoneros and patience from Morata and his agent will be needed to make it a reality therefore. Considering Moratas agent is double-winning Atleti legend Juanma Lpez, that patience may just be there.
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