Morata admitted he considered faking an injury to miss Euro 2024. What's behind this?

The recent European Championship turned into a celebration for the Spanish national team, who claimed continental supremacy for the first time in 12 years. But not everyone was ready to take part in this festivity.

Details: Álvaro Morata was appointed captain for Euro 2024, but a year after the tournament, he confessed that before it kicked off he was so mentally drained he even contemplated faking an injury to avoid traveling to Germany.

The reason? Psychological struggles that hit him after criticism for missed chances during Atletico Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final clashes against Borussia Dortmund in the 2023/2024 season.

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Quote: “You start to feel so many things in your body and you don’t understand why or how. Your legs ache. Your chest feels tight. You can’t breathe. I was afraid to fall asleep and not wake up. I was scared of everything. I couldn’t follow the ball. We weren’t losing the match, but in my head, I’d already missed the chance to reach the Champions League final with Atlético.

When the game ended, I stayed alone in the locker room for a long time. I just wanted to cry. That’s how it all began. I had so many terrible, destructive thoughts. The idea even crossed my mind to fake an injury so I wouldn’t have to go (to the Euros),” Morata revealed in the documentary, as quoted by The Athletic.