Alvaro Morata explains why he left Real Madrid for Chelsea

What's the story?

Chelsea's new Spanish star, Alvaro Morata, has revealed exactly why he was willing to leave childhood club Real Madrid and move to Chelsea. The 24-year-old explained that the lack of consistent playing time was what left him exasperated. When asked what he needs to prove his worth, Morata took a veiled dig at former bosses Zinedine Zidane, Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho, saying "If I was allowed to play five consecutive matches ... In Madrid, I never played five consecutive matches."

In case you didn't know...

Morata came through the ranks in Madrid's Castilla team, where his excellent goal scoring rate caught the eye of Jose Mourinho, who integrated him into the first-team squad, although the Portuguese manager did describe him as 'not ready'. Morata became a proper first-team member when Carlo Ancelotti took over, although he did leave the for Juventus the following season for €20 million. The Spanish striker enjoyed a great couple of seasons with the Bianconeri before Madrid exercised their buyback clause for €30 million, before selling him to Chelsea this summer.

The heart of the matter

Morata's suggestion that he was never offered consistent playing time bears merit, since he only made 37 league appearances over four seasons in his first spell at the club. His second spell after returning from Juventus was marginally better, with Zidane giving him 26 league appearances over the course of the 2016/17 season. However, Morata only completed 90 minutes 5 times, often coming on as a substitute, although he did rack up 15 goals in La Liga.

Morata has had a topsy turvy start to life with Chelsea, overcoming a missed penalty in the Community Shield to then get his Premier League career off to a great start. He said, "I am happy. But it's a new club and a new culture. I have two goals and two assists in two games. I'm not yet adapted to the game. I do not know my companions well, except the Spaniards."

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Author's Take

A consistent spell is required for strikers of Morata's ilk, but the Spaniard perhaps expected too much, especially at a club like Real Madrid. In contrast, players like Marco Asensio and Isco had accepted their secondary role last season, and are now revelling in becoming first-team members under Zinedine Zidane