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Álvaro Morata opens up about depression: "I can't go out with my kids anymore"

10. October 2024
Alvaro Morata (foto: Uradni FB/TW/IG profil igralca)
Álvaro Morata reveals his ongoing battle with depression, sharing how it has affected his football career and personal life, especially his relationship with his children.

Álvaro Morata, the captain of the Spanish national team, opened up about his struggles with mental health before the upcoming Nations League matches. Speaking on the popular COPE radio show "Kod Herrere", Morata revealed that a few months ago, he began experiencing mental health problems. He even admitted that these struggles made him consider quitting football, just before the recent Euro tournament, where he helped Spain win the European title.

"When a depression or panic attack starts, it's like two people are fighting inside you"

"When things get really tough, like in my situation, depression hits, followed by panic attacks. It doesn’t matter what your job is or what your life is like—when it starts, you feel like there's a different person inside you that you have to battle with every day and night. For me, the pressure in Spain was unbearable, and leaving was the best decision I made," Morata said, explaining why he left Atletico Madrid for Milan this summer.

"It was horrible. I thought I’d never be able to put on my boots and step onto the pitch again"

Morata continued: "But thanks to many people—Simeone, Koke, Atletico’s executive president Miguel Angel Gil, and my psychiatrist—I managed to keep going. You see us on TV and social media, but often, what you see is a distorted image of our lives."

"I’d lace up my boots, but then run home"

"We have to present the image the public expects because that's our job. I was really struggling. I exploded and there were literally times when I couldn’t even tie my boots. And when I finally managed, I’d sometimes just run home because my throat tightened, and my vision blurred."

This summer, Morata, as captain, led Spain to victory at the Euros, kicking off the tournament with a goal against Croatia. He scored in three consecutive Euros, but now he's revealing how close he came to not playing in the tournament: "Three months before the Euros, I seriously thought about quitting football. I didn’t know what was happening to me, but I knew it was complicated and sensitive. To explain it simply, you realize that at the same time, football is both what you love and what you hate most in the world."

"My kids no longer want to walk with me or go shopping because people mock me in the streets"

The Spanish star also shared how this situation is affecting his children: "Every time I go out with them, to a store or anywhere else, someone feels the need to approach me and comment on a game I played. Often, these people mean no harm, but in Spain, I can’t take a few steps with my kids without people stopping us to tell me how I should play. It irritates me, and I react badly, which affects my children too. In the end, because of these constant interruptions and my reactions, they no longer want to go shopping with me, something that should be a normal thing for a father to do with his kids. But the biggest problem is with those who make me feel so uncomfortable in front of my children by mocking me. They see me as an easy target."

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