Luis Enrique's faith sees Alvaro Morata move up Spain's scoring charts
The Atletico Madrid striker is now the sixth top scorer in La Roja history
Luis Enrique has regularly turned to Alvaro Morata during his tenure as Spain coach and the Atletico Madrid forward once again repaid him with the winning goal against Portugal on Wednesday in the UEFA Nations League as La Roja reached the Final Four.
It was a special night for Morata, who also scored in the 1-1 draw with Portugal earlier in the group. His strike in Braga this week took him to 27 international goals, moving him sixth in Spain's list of top scorers.
Morata is tied with Fernando Morientes. His next challenge is to overtake Fernando Hierro, who scored 29 goals. Then ahead of him still are David Silva, Fernando Torres, Raúl González and David Villa.
Centre of the debate
Morata is a striker that has always generated debate, but since Luis Enrique was appointed he has been a regular in the XI and his performances have got better and better.
Qatar 2022 is set to be his first World Cup, in fact, because he was left out of the squad in Russia four years ago. Coach at the time Julen Lopetegui, who himself departed before the tournament, was criticised for that decision.
Luis Enrique values Morata's work off the ball especially. He is a tireless pressure. His goals help, of course. He also scored the goal which helped La Roja beat Sweden to qualify for this year's World Cup.
And at the European Championships in 2021, he scored three important goals: the equaliser against Poland in the group stage, in the last 16 against Croatia and in the semifinal against Italy.
SPAIN'S TOP SCORERS:
1º David Villa 59
2º Raúl González 44
3º Fernando Torres 38
4º David Silva 35
5º Fernando Hierro 29
6º Álvaro Morata 27
6º Fernando Morientes 27
8º Emilio Butragueño 26
9º Alfredo Di Stéfano 23
9º Sergio Ramos 23
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