After the match, Morata spoke candidly about the emotional toll of the loss and the uncertainty surrounding his future with the national team. The veteran forward admitted that missing Spain’s next call-up in September, for the start of 2026 World Cup qualifying, is “a possibility.”

“I’m devastated because we all worked so hard to bring another title back to Spain,” Morata told reporters postgame. “I feel bad for my teammates. We gave everything. Of course, I didn’t hit the penalty well—I could’ve done better.”

Morata, who previously lifted the UEFA Euro trophy with Spain, said he accepted the consequences of his miss. “Just like I was lucky enough to lift the Euro, today it’s my turn to go home feeling frustrated. There’s nothing more I can do. You didn’t see me crying on the field, but I was hurting inside,” he added.

How Morata copes and what’s next for him

Speaking about the moment and how he handled the pressure, Morata made it clear that he had to stay composed in front of his family, even as the weight of the miss sank in. The 32-year-old emphasized growth and resilience.

“I didn’t cry—though I wanted to,” Morata said. “But you grow up in life. My kids and my family were in the stands. Just like we won not long ago, today I failed, and it’s another hard moment. But that’s what life is. We learn, we move forward.”

When pressed about his national team future, Morata didn’t rule anything out but hinted that a break—or even retirement from international duty—could be on the table. “Nothing is certain. It depends on many things. Right now, I’m just thinking about what happened today and about my teammates. Maybe tomorrow I’ll think differently. But yes, it’s possible I won’t be there in September,” he said.

Morata grateful for support, praises Lamine Yamal

Morata expressed appreciation for head coach Luis de la Fuente, who publicly defended him after the soccer match. De la Fuente told reporters that he specifically asked Morata to take one of the penalty kicks. “I’m grateful, as always,” Morata responded.

He also took a moment to back Lamine Yamal, who faced some criticism despite an overall strong performance. “For me, it was a high-level match from Lamine and the whole squad,” Morata said. “Things look different after a penalty shootout. We’re lucky to have Lamine playing for Spain.”

Luis Enrique‘s men need to bounce back at the FIFA World Cup, having failed to pick up a win in their last two games after starting the tournament with a commanding win over Costa Rica.

La Furia tied with Germany before being upset by the Asian team, which is why they head into the knockout stages aiming to silence the doubters. For some reason, the team’s top scorer will be on the bench.

Why is Alvaro Morata not starting for Spain against Morocco

Alvaro Morata doesn’t have any injury, so his absence in the lineup might be a tactical decision from Luis Enrique, who decided to start Marco Asensio over the Atletico Madrid striker.

Morata is Spain’s top scorer at Qatar 2022 with three goals in as many games. Even so, he only started in the loss to Japan. Will Spain go far even with him on the bench?Using this World Cup Predictor, you can see every potential outcome of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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Although his finishing can sometimes be his weak suit, the Spanish striker has remained a favorite of top teams because of his tireless effort off the ball, selflessness, and grit.He has had a long history with his current side, Atletico Madrid. After seeing him play on loan in 2018, the Spanish club decided to shell out €35 million to make him their main star in the attack.

However, the next season wasn’t as successful as anticipated. Morata’s clear lack of value led to the club loaning him to Juventus for the following two terms.Eventually, the 30-year-old returned to Madrid this summer in an apparent attempt to salvage his relationship with Diego Simeone.

Alvaro Morata’scontract with Atletico Madrid

It was previously reported that Morata’s contract with Atletico Madrid would end in 2023, but data from Transfermarkt indicates that he actually extended it upon signing with Juventus, where it will remain in effect until June 2024.

How much does Alvaro Morata make a week?

According toCapology, Alvaro Morata’scurrent annual salary is close to€9.8 milliongross / €4.7millionnet.Taking this account, the playerwould earn about€816,000permonth or€188,000a week. That would make it nearly€38,000a day,or around€4,700per hour, or€78per minute.

Shortly after they announced him, the Cules were heavily linked with another Spain international. Alvaro Morata has reportedly become the Catalans’ new target to reinforce the striker position in winter.

For a moment, it seemed that he was just a few steps away from making the move to Camp Nou. However, the days have passed and Morata continues at Juventus. These are the three reasons whyhe’ll probably stay there for the restof the seasonas well.

1. Barcelona’s problems to comply with La Liga’s Financial Fair Play

As much as Xaviwants to bring in Alvaro Morata this month, the truth is that the financial aspect is still a huge obstacle forBarcelona. They have barely been able to register Ferran Torres in La Liga, something they’ve only been able to do by finding a new destination for Philippe Coutinho and reaching an agreement with Samuel Umtiti to reduce his salary.

Withdebt of more than €1 billion and having lost €400m last season, La Liga establishedBarcelona have a salary cap of €97 million for the 2021-22 campaign – a €250m reduction from last term. Therefore, they’d need to free up even more spaceshouldthey want to include Morata in their roster.

2. Juventus would not let Morata leavewithout first securing a replacement

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri has emphasized on Alvaro Morata’s importance for the team, claiming he would not leave the club. The former Real Madrid striker is on loan at Juve from Atletico Madrid and he is theOld Lady’s main forward.

Losing him halfway through the season hasnot beenin their plans and if they were to accept that, Juventus would first want to sign another striker. They were linked with Mauro Icardi but PSG wouldn’t let him leave, thus making Morata’s exit to Barcelona fall apart.

3. Federico Chiesa’s injury a huge blow for Juventus

Another factor that would prevent Morata from moving to Barcelona might be Federico Chiesa’s recent setback. The Italian star suffered an ACL injury that rules him out for the remainder of the season, which is why Juventus would hold on even tighter to Morata. They have already suffered a big loss for this term, they won’t be open to losing another important offensive player.

Spain international Alvaro Morata is reportedly getting close to a Camp Nou move in a three-way operation that involves his current club Juventus and La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid, who have sent him on loan to the Serie A giants.

However, before the arrival of the former Chelsea striker materializes, the Blaugrana might need to free up space in their roster in order to comply with La Liga’s salary cap. Or at least that’s what Barcelona Soccer Director Mateu Alemany suggested.

To land Morata, Barcelona mightneed to free up space to comply with La Liga regulations

“If there are more signings it will depend on the departures, with Ferran we made an exception because it was worth it,” Alemany said, per Mundo Deportivo. “When we generate fair play with the departures, we’ll decide if there are new arrivals. This is the work we have to do this month until the transfer market is over,“ he added.

The Spanish outlet claims that’s a reason why Morata’s arrival at Camp Nou could take a bit longer, while another factor that may delay his move is the Old Lady’s search for his replacement. PSG striker Mauro Icardi has been linked to Juventus, but nothing official has been announced yet.

Meanwhile, even though the possibility of Morata sounds attractive, Barcelona need to offload some players in order to reduce the wage bill and bring in the Spanish forward without defying the Spanish leagueregulations. Luuk de Jong, who handed Barca a triumph over Mallorca in the weekend, looks like the first player who’ll leave soon.

Dybala’s contract with the Vecchia Signora runs out in 2022, which is why the club has to start consideringits plans with the playerbefore it’s too late. One option could be renewing his deal, but it seems that the Italians would choose to negotiate him before he becomes a free agent.

The Argentine struggled this term, being sidelined for a long time with a ligament injury and failing to perform at his best when he had playing minutes. He wouldn’t be the only onein Juventus’ squad to leave, though, as Cristiano Ronaldois linked with an exit as well. The Italian giantshave to make significant decisions for the future, andthey may find in Atletico Madrid the solution to Dybala’s case.

Juve could trade Dyabalafor a well-known goalscorer

The former Palermo forwardis notanymore thekey piece thatonce wason Turin’s side, and his time in that city could be over sooner than expected. If the board hasno plans to offer him a new contract, thenhe will probably be negotiatedto avoid losing himfor free.

According to Tuttosport, Paulo Dybala may move to Atletico Madrid in exchange of Alvaro Morata. The Spaniard striker is currently in Juventus on loan, which is set to expirein a few months. The Italians couldextend that deal for another yearpaying about$12 million.

Juvealsohave a buy option of around $55 million to acquirehimpermanentlyor another one of $45 million in 2022. However, it seems unlikely that they choose one of these options, which is why Atletico proposedthe swapdeal. Alvaro Morata has scored 18 goals in 40 appearances this season,being a regular starter in Andrea Pirlo‘s team.

The Colchoneros seem to be willing to sell Morata as they have other No. 9 options in Luis Suarez, Joao Felix, andeven Angel Correa. Moreover, if his exit opens the door for Dybala,then it would be more than worthy for Diego Simeone‘s side.

Dybalaonly played21 matches this campaign andhas been on target just fourtimes. A seriouscollateral ligament injury ruled him out forabout two months, but even before then, his form wasn’t good. Being traded to Atletico Madrid could be a great option for all the parties involved, and it could revitalize Dybala’s career.