Alvaro Morata as officially joined AC Milan on a permanent transfer from Atlético Madrid, the Serie A side announced on Friday.
Morata, who captained Spain to Euro 2024 glory, completed a medical before signing a four-year contract with the Rossoneri.
The 31-year-old forward scored 46 goals in 117 appearances for Atlético Madrid after initially joining the club on loan from Chelsea in January 2019.
His decision to leave Atlético with two years remaining on his contract surprised many fans, especially since just a couple of weeks ago, Morata had posted a photograph on Instagram wearing an Atlético jersey with the message: “I can’t imagine what it must be like to win with this shirt and I’m not going to stop until I get it @atleticodemadrid.”
However, during the European Championship in Germany, Morata expressed dissatisfaction, stating he received no respect from the media and fans in Spain.
“When you are in a place that for different reasons you can’t give your 100%, it is best for everyone this [to leave] option,” Morata said about his decision to leave Atlético.
Regarding his move to AC Milan, he told Sky Italia: “A simple thing. The trust shown to me by Zlatan [Ibrahimovic], the squad, and the coach. I know I still have the best years of my career ahead of me and I want to go to this big club that is Milan. The truth is that Italians have treated me with incredible respect. I can’t wait to go and play there again [in Serie A]. They have transmitted to me all positive things.”
Morata, who saw his playing time reduced this year, is expected to find more minutes at Milan following the departure of French forward Olivier Giroud. The 37-year-old moved to LAFC after his contract with the Rossoneri expired in June.
Morata spent four seasons on loan at Juventus across two spells, winning two league titles and three Coppa Italia trophies with the Turin giants before returning to Atlético in the summer of 2022. Milan announced in their statement that Morata will wear the No.7 jersey at the club.
