Milan striker Alvaro Morata recently went public and revealed that he was depressed. This has led to expressions of respect from his Spanish compatriot Rodri.
Alvaro Morata often serves as a whipping boy for the Spanish media and his fellow countrymen. The Spanish national team captain openly admitted in mid-October that this and life in general as a professional in the spotlight of world football cannot fail to leave its mark on a person.
“I felt very bad, I exploded, and at some point I couldn’t put my shoes on anymore, and then I ran home because my throat was closed and I started to see blurry,” the attacker, who moved from Atletico to Milan in the summer, said in an interview with Herrea en COPE, talking about depression.
A step that is rather rare in this business – and one that commands deep respect from the likes of Rodri.
Rodri “immediately understood that there was a problem”
The Manchester City midfielder, who was recently awarded the Ballon d’Or and, together with Morata, became European champion in Germany (2:1 in the final against England) and is currently still recovering from his long-term injury (cruciate ligament and meniscus), expressed this in an interview, as reported by Corriere dello Sport, among others.
“I already realized during the European Championship that something was wrong with him,” Rodri revealed about Morata. “After all, he’s a good friend of mine, so I immediately understood that there was a problem.” Because, the ManCity player continued: “Money and fame are not taken into account by the mind. We are not prepared for certain situations, like losing a game or even coping with the enormous pressure.”
Rodri finds it absolutely remarkable that the Milan player went public with this story: “The fact that Morata, the captain of the Spanish national team, has the courage to open up like this, I think that’s exemplary.” For him, Morata is a positive example.