A Quote by Alvaro Morata
Both Atletico and Real Madrid called my dad, but at that time, I wasn't doing too well at school, and they wouldn't let me go until my grades improved. They both called back, and since Atleti was closer to home, I joined their football academy. It was the start of a period where I stopped enjoying football - I lost the love for it.
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I lived in South Africa until I was 11 when we first immigrated. My mom had sent me back there when I was 14 for summer vacation. I wasn't doing very well in school, my grades were slipping. I called my mom one day and told her that I wasn't coming back. I ended up staying there until I was 17 before coming back to North America.
There are a lot of guys who football is all they have. And I love football to death, it got me here, it's what I've been doing since I was nine years old, but football ends at a point in time and you've got to be prepared for life after football.
When I got drafted I was sitting at home with my Mom watching the draft live on the internet when my name popped up on the screen. We both jumped up in joy and I immediately called my Dad who was out of town for work. Everyone was thrilled and then about 10 minutes late Matt Anderson (the Marlins scout who drafted me) called to give me the news as well and to start negotiating a contract.
I started playing at six. I was at a school always playing football with my friends. But I was always bored at home. I asked my father if he could start me in a football team. He took me to a team called Rupel Boom, who were playing in the fourth division in Belgium, and I stayed there for four years.
When I was younger, I had some close friends who always loved European football, and Real Madrid at that time were the dominant force. I remember family holidays when we used to go to Spain, and we'd bring back replica shirts of Real Madrid and pretend to be the players when we played in the park.
I was enjoying my football, even though it wasn't really going well. That's when I said to my dad, who as a New Zealander was very keen on me playing cricket, that I would choose football.
I was obsessed with my dad, and my dad would refuse to go to church with us on Sundays because football was on. So I thought to myself, how could I spend more time with my dad? I started watching football with him every Sunday, and it was just something I fell in love with.
I do have a son. He's out of school now. He never played football. And it had nothing to do with me. I was actually crushed that he didn't play football. I thought, 'Oh my God, this is awful.' My brothers all played football. My dad played football.
Football came in at an interesting time. My dad passed, and my brother was one year older than me. And so he was basically the man of the house - at like age 12. So I really just started doing whatever he did, and football was his thing, so I got into football.
The first thing I do on a Sunday is five hours in front of the TV watching football, football, football. I watch my games back and pick out what didn't go right and try to make sure it goes well next time.
I got injured just before we filmed 'Ninja Warrior,' which stopped me playing football with my mates. I haven't played football since. I'm crocked now, my back has gone and I feel like my body has packed in.
Football was so over-awing, so intense, just everything in your life. You couldn't go anywhere, really, with my dad and the circus around football became too much for me at a young age. I fell back in love with it probably around 13-14. It was much to do with the camaraderie, the team-work and being part of a team.
My dad played football - and tennis as well - and so did my brothers. My dad was chairman of our local club, Spartans, for a while. But back when I was a boy, people didn't think of football as a career.
Before, I would spend all my hours at training, come home, sleep, eat, watch football, sleep, and go back to training the next day. Now I do the school run, train, pick up my daughter. I am living in the real world. I am a father now. That has given me more satisfaction than football.
My brother was always going to go in the direction of football. With me, it was more between school and football. Eventually, it worked out for both of us. We're pleased to have gone down that path. I'm proud that my parents always supported us, in good and in bad times. You need that.
When I was six years old, my parents told me that we were moving back home to Armenia. I didn't really understand what was happening. My father had stopped playing football, and he was at home all the time.
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