'It's not worth it' - Alvaro Morata hits out at fans who 'mock, insult and laugh' at him as striker considers Spain retirement after decisive penalty miss against Portugal

Morata is the captain of the Spanish national team, but the former Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid forward has been hinting at international retirement following his decisive penalty miss in the Nations League final defeat to Portugal earlier this month. The striker, in his Movistar Plus documentary titled Morata: They Don't Know Who I Am, revealed that continuing with La Roja wouldn't be worth it if all he'll experience are the insults and jeers from the Spain faithful.

The 32-year-old has been going through intense internal turmoil, battling depression months before the 2024 European Championship. He was extremely fatigued mentally, to the extent that he even considered faking an injury in order to avoid playing at last summer's tournament with the eventual champions. The Spain star has admitted to suffering from anxiety attacks as well, and is now seriously considering retirement from international football. In the aftermath of the recent defeat to Portugal, fans on social media sent death threats to the player, pitting the entire blame of the loss on the ex-Juventus and Chelsea man.

In his documentary, Morata explained why he wouldn't want to return to the national team, stating: "Is it worth it that every time I go to Spain with my family, I have unpleasant experiences and people mock you, insult you, and laugh at you? I don't know if it's worth it. Is it worth it to keep coming to the national team only to be insulted and whistled at in the stadiums where you play wearing the national team jersey? It's not worth it."

Morata has been at the receiving end of booing and whistling from Spain fans at stadiums from quite a long time, with head coach Luis de la Fuente even saying that he was "hurt" by the fans' behaviour following their game against Brazil in 2024. What's more, Morata received death threats aimed at his children after missing a goal-scoring opportunity against Poland at Euro 2020, revealing that he "did not sleep for nine hours."

It remains to be seen whether Morata continues representing the three-time European champions in the lead up to the 2026 World Cup. De La Fuente previously convinced him to storm the weather ahead of Euro 2024, and he could once again persuade Morata to lead the team at next year's marquee event.