De La Fuente: “Morata is a tough man, Spain could have beaten Italy 5-0 at EURO 2024”

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente insists that La Roja could have beaten Italy 5-0 at EURO 2024 and praises Milan striker Alvaro Morata: “He may seem fragile, but he is a strong and tough man.”

De La Fuente published an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport in which he revealed that a 1-0 win over Italy at EURO 2024 last summer was a turning point for Spain, who went on to lift the trophy in Berlin.

“Internally, we were convinced that we would fight for victory. The game against Croatia was complicated despite an excellent start,” he said.

“The key was the game against Italy. If we had lost, the rumours would have started again. It was time to say 'we are here' and we could have won 5-0. I still think Italy is a great national team and that game made us realise our worth. That win was a huge boost and we used that energy against Germany, France and England.”

Spain was the first nation to win the European Championship four times. At the end of the European Championship, their captain Alvaro Morata joined Milan and spoke about his battle with depression.

That is why De La Fuente believes that Milan's new star is a role model for his teammates and the common people.

“Alvaro strengthened the group by making his fragility public,” said the coach.

“He humanized the image of a successful athlete who, in the collective imagination, must be a superman. Alvaro may seem fragile, but he is a strong and tough man who had to overcome enormous adversity. Others would not have been able to do it.”

“I knew what he was going through and that united us and strengthened our relationship, which went beyond the player-coach relationship. I felt deep feelings for someone who was battling big things.”

The 31-year-old has signed a contract at San Siro until 2028.