Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has lavished praise on La Roja captain Alvaro Morata ahead of Sunday's Euro 2024 final against England.

Morata has only scored once for his national side at this summer's European Championship, and the 31-year-old continues to face criticism from a number of different areas in Spain.

However, De la Fuente has said that the Atletico Madrid striker "would be a legend in another country" and hailed his captain for having "the numbers of a superstar".

"In Spain we find it difficult to recognise good things we have. Morata is a clear example. He has the numbers of a superstar", De la Fuente told Marca ahead of the battle with England.

"He's the fourth top scorer in Spain's history, third in the Euros, and won titles at top level clubs. He would be a legend in another country, but in ours it's difficult.

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De la Fuente hails 'legendary' Morata

"I'm 100% behind him. He has the support of his teammates and coaches and they feel bad about the attitude of a certain sector of the press towards him."

Morata has scored 36 goals in 79 appearances for Spain since his debut 10 years ago, which places him fourth on the all-time goalscoring list behind Fernando Torres (38), Raul (44) and David Villa (59).

The forward is also Spain's top scorer in European Championship finals with seven, while he has won a number of major trophies during his professional career.

There had been fears that Morata could be ruled out of Sunday's final when he was accidentally knocked over by a security guard while Spain celebrated their semi-final success over France last week.

However, the forward will be fit to lead the line against Gareth Southgate's side on Sunday.

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Cucurella hoping Chelsea teammate Palmer remains on the bench

Spain defender Marc Cucurella, meanwhile, is hopeful that his Chelsea teammate Cole Palmer does not get off the bench for England in the final of the competition.

Palmer enjoyed an excellent 2023-24 campaign for the Blues, scoring 25 goals and registering 15 assists in 45 appearances in all competitions, but he is yet to start for England at Euro 2024.

"I talked with him (Palmer), but it was over a week ago. We talked for a while in the previous rounds. For me it's much better if he doesn't play and stays on the bench", Cucurella told Mundo Deportivo.

Palmer was an unused substitute against Serbia and Denmark in the group stage, but he has since featured off the bench against Slovenia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Netherlands.

Written by
Matt Law