Expanded European events and next summer's extended Club World Cup have led to growing concerns about players' workloads
Three months after a section of Spain fans whistled Alvaro Morata, the striker got the ball rolling on their Euro 2024 bid by scoring the opener to inspire an impressive 3-0 win over Croatia on Saturday.
Spain's lack of an elite number nine is often cited as one of the country's weak points but the Atletico Madrid forward set up three-time champions La Roja for a perfect start in Berlin.
The former Juventus, Real Madrid and Chelsea forward has bounced around some of Europe's biggest sides without fully convincing or becoming the consistently lethal weapon many hoped he could be.
Morata limped off after 67 minutes but insisted after the game it was just a knock and he would be fit for Spain's second match in what was dubbed the 'group of death'.
"I am ready for Italy," he said, with Spain facing the Euro 2020 champions on Thursday in Gelsenkirchen.
After Spain had dominated early possession it was just when Croatia began to play their way into the match that Morata pounced.
The forward, occasionally derided for spurning presentable opportunities, broke in down the middle after the excellent Fabian Ruiz threaded a pass through for him from deep in midfield.
Morata stayed calm as he stared down Dominik Livakovic and, with his weaker left foot, clinically slid the ball past the Croatian goalkeeper.
"Fabian gave it to me, I said the other day that he's brilliant, he had a great game and then he scored a great goal himself," said Morata, passing on the credit.
The Atletico striker's goal blew the game open after Croatia had kept it tightly closed, and Ruiz added the second just three minutes later, with Dani Carvajal grabbing another before the break.
Morata's strike made him the standalone fourth top Spanish international goalscorer of all-time with 36 goals, trailing only leader David Villa on 59, as well as Raul and Fernando Torres with 44 and 38 respectively.
The striker also pulled level as the joint-third top Euros goalscorer, with Alan Shearer and Antoine Griezmann on seven -- Cristiano Ronaldo has 14 and Michel Platini nine.
With such strong tallies, it was surprising to some that Morata was whistled during a 3-3 friendly draw with Brazil in March at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Of course some Real Madrid fans took the chance to insult a rival at club level, but if Morata was an indisputable key player for Spain they might not have been so dismissive.
"It hurts my soul that in my country they whistle a player from the national team... when I hear them whistle, I feel shame," said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente in March, but he was far happier in Berlin.
Ahead of the clash with Croatia the coach mentioned the team's job was to inspire national pride, saying there was a lack of it in the country.
Morata's strike got Spain off on a strong footing on that front, even though around 10,000 fans were vastly outnumbered by their Croatian counterparts, filling the majority of the Olympiastadion.
"The first thing is to thank the fans that came to support us," said Morata.
"You feel it when Spaniards want to back us and they come, it was important to start like that."
Even if Morata is not on the same world-class plane as France forward Kylian Mbappe or England striker Harry Kane, he showed against stern opposition he has what it takes to make the difference this summer.
Morata started the club season strongly with Atletico Madrid but found the net just twice in his final 13 La Liga appearances, concerning form ahead of the Euros.
However in a 5-1 friendly rout of Northern Ireland last week Morata scored and looked significantly sharper, doing enough to stay ahead of Joselu, Mikel Oyarzabal and Ayoze Perez as De la Fuente's other central options.
It paid off for the forward and his coach against Croatia and despite that blow to his calf, Morata is raring to go against Italy.
ALSO READ:
Expanded European events and next summer's extended Club World Cup have led to growing concerns about players' workloads
Taking a closer look at the contenders who are solidly in the mix and those who are still vying for position at the business end
As the 16-time PGA Tour winner bids farewell to the game after four decades, we celebrate one of the lasting memories he has gifted us
The DP World Tour gears up for an exciting event with the $3.25 million acciona Open de España, marking the 37th of 44 tournaments in the season
His handling of logistical challenges underscores his commitment to staying prepared for the next phase of his career as he travels to the U.S. for PGA Tour Q’School
India delivered a remarkable performance at the Fide Chess Olympiad in Budapest, securing gold medals in both men's and women's events
Markram's unbeaten 69 and 26 not out from Stubbs saw them reach 170 for three wickets off 33 overs in reply to Afghanistan's total of 169
The Emirati has become the most successful driver by winning his fifth UIM F2 World Championship title