Alvaro Morata, believes that Rodri, his teammate in the Spain national team, deserved to win the Ballon d'Or. In remarks highlighted by "Diario AS," Morata expressed his frustration over a previous interview where it was claimed that Spain lacks a world-class player or star.
He stated, "For me, Merino is a star, Fabian Ruiz is a star, Dani Olmo is a star."
Morata added, "I expected Rodri to win the Ballon d'Or. Today, it is a significant achievement for Spain to have Rodri on the pitch, just as it was with Sergio Busquets before him."
Regarding Busquets and Carvajal, he continued, "Busquets also deserved the Ballon d'Or. Players like them don’t shine as much as forwards or wingers, but they control Spain's style of play; they are the architects of our game."
On the absence of Dani Carvajal, in the Ballon d'Or race, Morata said, "I didn't care which of them would win the award. Both are Spanish and my friends. I would have been happy if Carvajal had won; we have known each other since childhood."
He further stated, "There are players from other teams and countries who deserve it as well, but I am Spanish, and there is no greater pride than seeing a Spanish player at the top of the world."
Morata praised Lamine Yamal's character, saying, "He has a very decisive personality. It’s hard to find that in someone his age (17 years). He knows exactly what he wants to do."
He added, "He has a lot of character and everything ahead of him. Honestly, I haven’t seen anything like him before. It only takes one training session to realize he is different, that he is a phenomenon. Every 20 or 30 years, one or two players like Cristiano and Messi emerge."
Morata concluded, "For me, Yamal has everything he needs to make history. I am convinced that if he doesn’t become the best player in Spain's history, he will undoubtedly be among the best."