Alvaro Morata set to retire after crucial penalty miss - 'I felt like crying'
Spain were beaten by Portugal in the Nations League final on Sunday evening with ex-Chelsea star Alvaro Morata missing the decisive penalty for his side before Ruben Neves won the game
Alvaro Morata has admitted he is considering Spain retirement after missing the crucial penalty in the Nations League final. The Euro 2024 champions took on Portugal in Munich on Sunday evening and battled to a thrilling 2-2 draw.
Arsenal target Martin Zubimendi opened the scoring for Spain before Nuno Mendes replied with an excellent effort. Mikel Oyarzabal put Spain ahead once again ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo 's equaliser.
Penalties came and went with Morata seeing his effort saved by Portugal star Diogo Costa, with Ruben Neves winning the trophy with his successful effort. Speaking after his miss, Morata has admitted he could consider stepping back from the international stage.
He said: "I feel sorry for my teammates, but that's part of life. I thank the coach for his words. The penalty? I took it badly, I could have done better, but there's nothing I can do about it.
'I'm leaving angry. I wanted to cry, even though I didn't. My children were in the stands, and in life, you have to learn."
On retirement, the ex-Chelsea man said: "I'm only thinking about what happened today, but it's possible I won't be back in September."
Morata, 32, has accumulated 86 appearances for Spain since his international debut in 2014 and has gone on to score 37 goals - the fourth-highest in the nation's history behind just Fernando Torres, Raul and David Villa.
While Spain boss Luis De La Fuente recognised Morata's error, he refused to blame the striker. He said: "All the penalty takers were at an excellent level, and if Morata made a mistake, it was because he dared to. Morata is a champion and a role model for us. I'm really sorry he made that mistake, but I'm responsible for it because I asked him to."
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Morata now faces a major decision over his club future, as well as his international commitments. The ex- Chelsea and Atletico Madrid man spent the second half of last season on loan at Turkish giants Galatasaray, with that deal set to expire in January 2026.
He scored seven goals across 16 outings in all competitions, helping the side win the league with an eye-watering 95 points That move followed a disappointing six-month spell with Italian giants AC Milan as he netted just six times in 25 appearances. Morata had only signed for Milan last summer from Atletico Madrid.
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