Morata joins Leganes and becomes Cordoba CF rival in LaLiga Hypermotion

Alvaro Morata will play for Leganes during the 2026-2027 season and, as a result, will cross paths directly with Cordoba CF in LaLiga Hypermotion. The Madrid-based club have completed the signing of the Spanish striker on a one-year loan from Como 1907, with an option to buy that can be exercised at the end of the campaign. The deal had been taking shape for several days and is now officially sealed.

• Leganes secure Morata on a season-long loan with an option to buy included.
• The first meeting with Cordoba CF is set for October 18 at Butarque, on matchday 10.
• The return game will be played at El Arcangel on matchday 36, late in the season.
• Morata arrives after a quiet year at Como, with 21 games and no league goals in Serie A.
• At 33, the Spain international has won two Champions Leagues, two Serie A titles, Euro 2024 and the Nations League.

How Cordoba CF are affected by Morata's move to Leganes

The arrival of a player with Morata's profile changes the balance of the division. Ivan Ania and his coaching staff already know they will need to prepare for two special matches against a Leganes side that, with their new striker, clearly aim to take a competitive leap. Cordoba CF are used to demanding challenges, but rarely in the second tier have they faced an opponent with such a track record at top clubs and with the Spanish national team.

When Cordoba CF and Leganes face each other in 2026-2027

The calendar has set the first meeting for October 18. On that day, Butarque will host the match corresponding to matchday 10 of LaLiga Hypermotion. It will be the first opportunity for Cordoba CF to face Leganes with Morata on the pitch, provided fitness and technical decisions allow it.

The return game will take place much later, on matchday 36. El Arcangel will welcome Leganes at a stage of the season when every point can prove decisive for the goals of both clubs. By then, the Spain international will have had plenty of time to influence the standings.

Morata's difficult spell at Como 1907

Morata arrives at Butarque after a season without the prominence he expected in Italy. In Serie A 2025-2026 he played 21 games for Cesc Fabregas' Como, eight of them as a starter, totaling 707 minutes and failing to score. Far from stalling his career, that chapter has opened the door to a return to Spanish football that few imagined would happen in the second tier.

A trophy cabinet of Champions League, Euro and Serie A titles in the second division

Morata's CV is hard to match in LaLiga Hypermotion. His spell at Real Madrid produced two Champions League titles in 2014 and 2017, as well as two league titles, a Copa del Rey, a European Super Cup and a Club World Cup. With Juventus he won two Serie A crowns, and during his spells in Italy and England he also added major domestic and European trophies.

On the international stage, the striker captained Spain to victory at Euro 2024 by beating England in the final. He had previously helped the team secure the 2023 Nations League title. All of that also makes him the fourth-highest scorer in the history of the Spanish national team.

The biggest signing of the summer in the second division

Morata's presence turns Leganes into one of the teams to watch this season. Beyond the direct rivalry with Cordoba CF, his arrival changes the general perception of the competition and forces defences across the league to raise their level of attention. An international of his calibre in the second tier is not something that happens every summer.

A trophy cabinet featuring Champions League, European Championship and Serie A titles now lands in the second division, making Leganes one of the main talking points in Spanish football this season.