MY HOME GAME

Spanish football ace Fernando Morientes and his wife, Victoria López, invite us into their stylish and comfortable house in Madrid

- CRISTINA LORA ALARCÓN

During his impressive football career, the Spanish ace Fernando Morientes moved across Europe, sporting the colours of famous clubs such as Liverpool, Monaco and Real Madrid, and also playing for his country.

Since hanging up his boots in 2010, the 6ft striker has scored a whole new profile for himself as a successful TV commentator.

So it’s been quite a journey from his start, aged 16, at the provincial club Albacete. By his side throughout it all has been his teenage sweetheart Victoria López, now his wife and mother of their four children.

"I admire so many things about Victoria. But what I need most is her positivity," Fernando reveals. She’s been there, he says, through every triumph and every trouble, and has ensured that, wherever in the world the couple found themselves, it always felt like home. But most importantly, she’s helped form what is for him, the greatest team of all - their family.

Now settled in a leafy suburb of Madrid, the couple have spent four years creating just the right environment for that team to flourish.

Their stunning contemporary villa, decorated by sisters Beatriz and Patricia Fernández Castro of Indietro, is everything they dreamed of. As they welcome us in, they tell us: “This house isn’t just bricks and mortar; it’s a reflection of our roots and history.”

Fernando, what can you tell us about your childhood?