Morales: “My daughter asked me, aren't we from Espanyol anymore? Yes, of course, that's always”

In two stages, Angel Morales has been one of the most well-known and kind faces of the Spanish in the last 25 years. Member of the Fifth of the Intertoto along with other illustrious such as Raúl Tamudo or Quique de Lucas, was a player from 1996 to 2005 (with a two-year hiatus) and, since 2012, he took care of the economic management of grassroots football, taking advantage of his studies. This summer, he was fired after failing to take a massive pay cut. Of that and much more he spoke naturally, and a fine sense of humor, in the program Flying Parakeet.

“There are some changes and budget adjustments, and it was my turn. It was a negotiation that I carried out with Durán, with whom I had four or five meetings. I told them to do it starting in October. The reasons they gave me were financial, but I understand that no. I hope that with my cut the budget will be balanced … “he said jokingly. Morales explained an anecdote when he came home after saying goodbye to Espanyol. “I have tried to separate the club with my disappointment with some people, but I am one of the first who wanted promotion. Chaining two years in the Second Division implies internal changes. I remember that my little daughter asked me if we were still Espanyol or not. I told her that yes, of course, that always“.

In one of the sections of the program conducted by Álex Pérez and Brian Domínguez, Morales had to point out the culprits of the relegation to LaLiga SmartBank (he pointed to Rufete) and his dismissal (which in this case was Josep Maria Durán), also He pointed out the president, Chen Yansheng, as responsible for the mismanagement of the Femenino. “I will always leave my door open at Espanyol, although now I would love to do something similar to what I did at Malaga, which is where I live.”

From night accounting to sausage in Montjuïc

Morales played 143 games in Espanyol's first team and was one of the most beloved players, although he also went through moments of frustration. One of them was in the 2002-03 season with Javier Clemente on the bench, when he dedicated a sausage to the fans for the buzz his game generated. The midfielder was explained in PQV: “That day I was given anti-doping and I remember going out with the journalist Javier de Haro to apologize. Clemente would put me on the side and tell me that I should play there even though I knew I was not comfortable. To be a side you must be fast, but I was not . There was a murmur in the stands. And in that match against Villarreal there were whistles. Toni Velamazán scored a center of mine. And it came out to make the sausage “. A situation that recalls her now with amusement.

Also it was his previous stage in the subsidiary, leading the Fifth of the Intertoto with players like Alfred Argensó, Quique de Lucas or Raúl Tamudo. Morales also explained some nights out of the young parrots. “You're in a subsidiary, things were going well for us. He went out when he could, on Sundays, on Thursdays. I never went out two days before the game. I went from playing life in the Orihuela field to winning a derby as captain in the first team, “he commented, while pointing out that the numbers were already at that time. “I was the one who collected the pot of the nights to spend.”

Morales witnessed the years between Cups, where world-class footballers such as Paulo Sousa (“he was my idol“), Alain Boghossian (only played one match while being”always injured“) or Moreno Torricelli (“In the first 20 minutes of each training session he would not stop complaining, but then he was a great competitor“).