Morata: ‘Playing seemed impossible, I couldn’t take it anymore’ | OneFootball

Milan striker Alvaro Morata confessed he left Atletico Madrid after constant public harassment affected his mental health. ‘I asked myself if I could even play another game.’

A small clip of the interview had been released by COPE last night, where he confessed to suffering from depression and panic attacks, noting that his line of work did not protect him in any way from the struggles that all people go through with mental health.

The rest of the video was shown today and reveals the sheer extent of Morata’s difficulties, with how it also affected his decision to move to Milan from Atletico Madrid.

“It was the best thing for me to leave Spain, as I couldn’t take it anymore. I leaned on people who had experienced the same thing, like Bojan. Three months before the Euros, it seemed impossible. I asked myself if I could even play another game, I didn’t know what was happening to me.”

Morata is married to an Italian influencer, Alice Campello, but they separated when he made the transfer to Milan over the summer.

According to the striker, the stress of fans and trolls having no sense of personal boundaries really took its toll.

“I was ashamed to be out in public with my family. Every time I went out with them, something always happened. At times people commented to me on what happened in the games and in the end they too no longer wanted to go shopping with me. At the end, I was told so many things in front of them that I became ashamed to be with my family.

“It comes to a point where you no longer want to leave the house. You stop living and it makes you even more stressed. When I was younger, I struggled, but sometimes for example in a restaurant, I would explain the situation to all those present. After that, the person would get embarrassed and admit it was just to get a video for his WhatsApp group or something.”

Morata struggled with mental health amid harassment

The criticism in Spain was particularly virulent, although helping them to win the EURO 2024 trophy in Germany this summer at least took some of that pressure off him.

“Many times I think the Euros changed my life, because at least now I get respected a little more,” continued Morata.

However, before that was the worst time for Morata and he wants others to learn from his own experience in the sport.

“I asked for help as soon as I realised the situation was getting out of hand. I would go to training, knowing full well I was in bad shape. In the Atletico locker room, they realised I was struggling.

“When I had to get changed, I had to close myself in a room and fight against my head. Depression is an illness like any other. We need someone to help us. I think schools should make people aware of the importance of psychologists and mental health.

“I took some medication too. I never said anything, because you can’t stop the world over a situation like this. The people who saw me thought I was someone who had it all, yet this is what I was dealing with.”