Morata admits he suffered from depression on the eve of Euro 2024

Today, October 10th, marks World Mental Health Day, and in recognition of this, AC Milan and Spain striker Álvaro Morata has opened up about his own difficult experiences.

Details: In an interview with Cadena COPE, the captain of the Spanish national team revealed that he struggled with depression in the lead-up to Euro 2024.

Quote:

"Spain is the best country in the world. I will definitely return there when I finish my career, but right now the situation is tough. I don’t like talking about it, everyone thinks I’m always complaining. But when you’re battling depression and panic attacks, it doesn’t matter who you are, what you do, or how you live. It feels like there’s another person inside you that you have to fight every day and every night. Leaving Spain was the best decision for me.

I was in a really bad place. I thought I’d never play football again. Very few people knew about it: [Diego] Simeone, Koke, a few others from the national team, and that was it. Television and social media often show a world that isn’t real. You have to keep up appearances—it’s your job. But I was struggling, and I exploded.

If I hadn’t met my psychologist, my mental coach, if I didn’t have my family and friends… Andrés Iniesta and Bojan Krkić went through similar moments, but I never thought it could happen to me.

Three months before the Euros, football and the captain’s armband meant nothing to me. I doubted whether I’d ever play again. It’s hard to realize that you’ve grown to hate something you once loved. I was ashamed, always ashamed. Ashamed in front of my children, ashamed to go outside. Everyone wanted to talk to me about football, but I hated it."

Reminder: In the end, Morata was Spain’s starting forward during Euro 2024, which concluded in triumph for the national team.

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In his first seven matches for AC Milan, Morata has scored two goals and provided one assist.