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ALVARO MORATA’S wife has slammed Spanish newspaper El Confidencial for trying to “sink” the striker in a controversial article.Morata, 31, is set to captain Spain when they face France in the Euro 2024 semi-finals on Tuesday night.Alvaro Morata’s wife, Alice Campello, has slammed the Spanish pressCredit: Rex FeaturesMorata has received harsh criticism from newspaper El ConfidencialCredit: GettyHowever, he sparked a storm this week by threatening to QUIT the national team after the tournament.The Atletico Madrid striker claimed: “In Spain, there’s no respect for anyone,” citing the poor treatment he has received throughout his playing career.El Confidencial criticised Morata for the comments and claimed he is an “embarrassment” to Spain.The Spanish outlet published an article headlined: “Morata, a captain who embarrasses Spain and not only because of his poor form at the Euros.”Read More on Euro 2024It accused the striker of being a “crybaby” and suggested his behaviour has been “immature and reprehensible” in the build-up to the semi-finals.Part of the controversial article read: “This captain does not represent Spain. He embarrasses it with his statements, which, by repeating them so often, make it credible that in Spain he is being mistreated or there is a personal persecution.”Morata’s wife, Alice Campello, has slammed the treatment of her husband, stating the article would “generate more hatred” ahead of a huge occasion for Spain.She wrote on Instagram: “I hate to play the victim and stir up more controversy, but this doesn’t seem normal to me, I’m sorry. Is this normal?Most read in Euro 2024CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS”The only thing I see as poor quality is being a journalist, having studied for it and writing a headline like this when Spain is one day away from playing a semi-final. “It amazes me that instead of encouraging a player you dedicate yourselves to trying to sink him… How do you think a person can give the maximum for his country when he feels that no one believes in him?The Sun’s Charlie Wyett England review as ‘lucky’ Three Lions squeak by Switzerland in dramatic penalty shootout”What do you want to achieve with the headline? Generate more hatred towards a person?”Congratulations, everyone can write their opinion and everyone is free to express it and no one ever pleases everyone, but there are ways and ways of saying things, even more so when you are from a newspaper and you have so much power to condition young people. Do we really want this?”She also defended Morata in a second post, writing: “These players have fathers, mothers, wives and children who read these gratuitous barbarities. This one from the newspaper is a simple example.”We must think before speaking about how we would feel about what we are doing. I repeat: everyone is free to say what they think, but without offending.”It’s all a matter of taste, but we must respect if we want respect.”Campello married Morata in Venice seven years ago and they now have four children together.EURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANY More

TONI KROOS released an emotional farewell letter following his final career game – and squeezed in an apology to Spain’s Pedri.Kroos confirmed he would hang up his boots after Euro 2024 as his contract with Real Madrid expired. Toni Kroos has retired from footballCredit: GettyThe midfielder initially walked away from international football in 2021 – missing the winter World Cup the following year. But manager Julian Nagelsmann who convinced him back before this summer’s Euros on home soil.Unfortunately, it all ended in heartache after a Mikel Merino header late in extra-time sent Spain through to the semi-finals – and sent Kroos into retirement for good.In a social media post, Kroos wrote: “On September 29, 2023 my phone rang. Caller: Julian Nagelsmann. Request: return to the national team. READ MORE ON EURO 2024″The first thought in my head: I’m not stupid! First thought in my heart: f*** yeah! As we know, the heart decided.”My first thought this morning on July 6, 2024: I’m glad I did it. Despite all the sadness and emptiness since the final whistle yesterday. “I have always seen more in the team than they have shown in recent years. “But I didn’t expect that it would be possible in such a short time to have a really realistic chance of winning the title and being on a level with the best again! Most read in Euro 2024Kroos’ career honours Bayern MunichBundesliga: 2007–08, 2012–13, 2013–14DFB-Pokal: 2007–08, 2012–13, 2013–14DFL-Supercup: 2012Champions League: 2012–13UEFA Super Cup: 2013Fifa Club World Cup: 2013Real Madrid La Liga: 2016–17, 2019–20,[70] 2021–22, 2023–24Copa del Rey: 2022–23Supercopa de Espana: 2017, 2020, 2022, 2024Champions League: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22, 2023–24UEFA Super Cup: 2014, 2017, 2022Fifa Club World Cup: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022Germany World Cup: 2014CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS”That’s why I’m very proud of what this team has achieved! And that can be the case for all of Germany again.”A special thank you to you out there who made this home European Championship a special one. We have seen, experienced and felt you!Emotional reason for Spain hero Mikel Merino’s celebration revealed as incredible footage from 33 years ago is unearthed “On a personal level, I would like to thank you for the really special warmth and affection over the last few weeks. That was very special.”And finally a request: Now that Germany has won back its favourite child (the national team): don’t let them go! “The path of this team continues. And it really helps if you stand by them even in bad phases! “Because I can assure you of one thing: this is a group of great people who give everything to be successful! Germany is someone again!!!”Kroos, 34, leaves the game after trophy-laden career across Europe. In Germany with Bayern Munich, he was a three-time Bundesliga winner with a Champions League medal to his name. At Real Madrid, he won four LaLiga titles with an astonishing five Champions League medals.Who is Euro 2024’s sexiest star?EURO 2024 has something for everyone from stunning goals, thrilling matches… and the continent’s biggest hunks, writes Jack Figg.Several stars have lit up the group stages with their skills on the pitch – but others are also catching the eye for their looks.But who is the sexiest?Thankfully AI boffins have carried out an analysis on the facial attractiveness of all players at the tournament.And it’s bad news for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions who are the fourth UGLIEST in the competition – one place below Scotland.In fact it’s England’s group rivals Serbia who have fans swooning the most – boasting an average score of 77.90/100 with defender Strahinja Pavlovic deemed their most attractive.While Turkey defender Mert Muldur has been ranked as the tournament’s BEST-LOOKING player.But who is England’s sexiest star, and who makes the Euros’ hunkiest XI? Read our full story.At international level, he lifted the World Cup with Germany in 2014 but never again hit those same heights. He hopes to guide Germany to Euros success on home soil but it was not to be. Kroos accidentally injured Spain’s Pedri in the quarter-final with the Barcelona star ruled out for the rest of the tournament with the knee injury. READ MORE SUN STORIESAnd Kroos said: “Get well soon to @pedri! “Logically it wasn’t my intention to hurt you. A speedy recovery and all the best. You are a great player.”Pedri is out for the rest of Euro 2024Credit: AFP More

TONI KROOS admitted himself that to retire off the back of Champions League AND Euros glory would be far too “cheesy” to be considered plausible.And so, sadly, it played out, in devastating fashion.Toni Kroos bowed out as Germany were beaten by Spain at the EurosCredit: GettyKroos was consoled by Real Madrid team-mate Dani Carvajal at full-timeCredit: AFPThe Germany legend looked heartbroken at the final whistleKroos said farewell to the fans after a devastating defeatCredit: ReutersKroos won six Champions League titles across a glittering careerCredit: AFPToni Kroos’ trophy cabinetToni Kroos’ incredible trophy cabinetBayern MunichBundesliga x3German Cup x3German Super CupChampions LeagueUefa Super CupClub World CupReal MadridLaLiga x4Copa del ReySpanish Super Cup x4Champions League x5Uefa Super Cup x3Club World Cup x5GermanyIndividualBundesliga Team of the Season x2Uefa Team of the Year x3German Player/Footballer of the Year x2Euro 2016 Team of the TournamentLaLiga Team of the Season x2Very few footballing legends get to walk away from the sport at the highest of highs, and if anyone deserved it, Kroos did, but it rarely seems to go that way.Ending his club career in European dreamland with Real Madrid at Wembley on June 1 was meant to be the start of a magical farewell summer for the 34-year-old.Instead, his last ever competitive outing with his boots laced finished in Stuttgart at the end of a pulsating Euros quarter final 2-1 extra-time defeat to a formidable Spain outfit.The cheesy dream is over, and an unfitting way for one of the greats of the game to go out on. Football can be incredibly cruel sometimes.READ MORE ON EURO 2024On his 114th appearance in a Germany shirt – and 19th at the Euros – he brought out the greatest hits, showing exactly why he was and is world class, all while being technically unemployed having let his Madrid contract run down last month.The intelligence, the gracefulness, the nous and the nastiness. The winning mentality and the leadership exhumed in such a calm, controlled manner. It was all on show.Spain manager Luis de la Fuente joked in the build-up that the only way to stop Kroos is to tie his feet together.It leaves the rest of us wondering why he is even retiring in the first place?Most read in Euro 2024CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSKroos made a name for himself at Bayern Munich before joining Real MadridCredit: Bongarts – GettyThe likes of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, 39, and Argentina’s Lionel Messi, 37, continue to lead their nations on the world’s biggest stages, so why not carry on?Kroos will tell you he wants to spend more time with his wife Jessica and their three children at their beautiful Mallorca villa.Euro 2024’s sexiest players revealedAfter the match, he said: “I would not say it was the most brutal match, but one where we put everything in. We did not want to lose, we were so close.”Now at the moment the exit covers it all. We wanted to achieve something big and that dream is now gone.”We will realise we played a good tournament, but being so close to reaching the next round is hard.”We can all be proud because we improved. I am happy to have helped Germany as a football nation to have hope again.”In the future I am convinced the team will succeed, but today we are sad because we wanted to stay in this competition a bit longer.”What Kroos may not admit is that there were moments during this epic encounter that showed why he may be right to hang up the boots now rather than later.At times, Kroos struggled with the pace of 16-year-old Lamine Yamal and 21-year-old Nico Williams, the physicality of Rodri.And as Dani Olmo snuck into the box unmarked to tuck home and 51st-minute opener for Spain, a heartless onlooker would argue that Kroos should have been tighter.By the end, he looked physically and mentally drained, showing rare signs of frustration and anger as his final few minutes in the spotlight of international football faded away.Despite that, his influence at the elite level remained, in particularly on Germany’s patience before Florian Wirtz nicked a late leveller.He surely would have taken a penalty but for Mikel Merino’s gut-wrenching 119th-minute winner.Throughout, the home crowd chanted “Toni, Toni” whenever they got the chance.From kick-off his passing was full of cuteness and deception, giving Rodri the eyes and floating one over for Havertz to challenge for.We also saw the edge, the craftiness, that has kept him at the top for so many years, flying in and crunching the young talent Pedri, leaving him in a heap on the floor.Kroos sneakily ran as far away as possible before ref Anthony Taylor could even think about reaching to his pocket.Pedri eventually had to be subbed off with his head in his hands. Kroos looked unperplexed. He had done a job on his opposite man and come out on top, just like he normally does.He would go on to commit a further five fouls in this match before getting booked.At times he was stood as a third centre back, dictating from as deep as humanly possible in order to find the space he craves to look up and create with that wand of a right foot.You can see why boss Julian Nagelsmann brought him back into the fold in March 2024.Kroos initially retired from international football in the summer of 2021 following Germany’s Euro 2020 last 16 exit at the hands of England at Wembley, leaving the country bereft of ideas in that position.The way Kroos can still singlehandedly dial down the velocity of a match with a composure of thought and those pinged diagonals is remarkable.It’s the sort of skill you learn when you’ve been around the block for as long as he has, winning a World Cup in 2014 as well as four Bundesliga titles, four La Liga titles and six Champions League crowns – five with Madrid and one with Bayern Munich.It is worth pausing to consider what would have happened in Kroos’ career had he joined Manchester United in the summer of 2014 instead of Madrid, having agreed to do so before David Moyes got the sack and Carlo Ancelotti pounced.Let’s put it this way: he would not have been as decorated…Germany legend Lothar Matthaus – after that Euro 2020 2-0 defeat to the Three Lions – claimed Kroos was “no longer international class”. How wrong he proved to be.Kroos continued to push and probe before Germany’s deserved 89th-minute equaliser through Wirtz, one of six subs Nagelsmann made during 120 minutes of football.It was never a possibility that Kroos would be taken off.No one can replicate what he does, even with weary, cramping legs that saw him needing treatment in injury time before the result agonisingly slipped away.READ MORE SUN STORIESHe limped around the pitch at full-time like a lost soul.You’ll have plenty of time to rest up in Mallorca, Toni. Enjoy this long, deserved rest. More