Alvaro Morata admits he regrets leaving Atletico Madrid – ‘I should have known…’

Spain captain Alvaro Morata has admitted to having regrets over his departure from Atletico Madrid last summer, after a sudden exit to AC Milan. Just six months later he would be back on the move to Galatasaray in Turkiye.

Morata had assured at the time that he would not be leaving the Spanish capital after winning Euro 2024 and becoming a national hero, but a sudden move to San Siro was agreed last summer. During the tournament though Morata did admit that if ‘Atleti want to sign eight forwards, I imagine I’m not a priority’, hinting at his discontent.

“When you go through difficult times you don’t see things clearly, no matter how many people around you tell you that you’re making a mistake,” he told Cadena SER.

“In the summer, I should have thought things through more. It’s pointless to say it now, but I should have thought more about whether or not to leave Atletico. When you’re not feeling well at certain levels in your life, you make the wrong decisions. This topic bothered me during the Euros. The AC Milan manager – Paulo Fonseca at the time – called me every day, and at that moment, I needed to feel loved. Looking back now, Cholo also valued and loved me, and I should have known that he did.”

The 32-year-old says there were people in his life that also advised him not to make the switch to Galatasaray as well.

“My father was the first. Juanma Lopez also told me that, it seems like they’re agents and just want to do business, but… At that moment, I didn’t realise that the manager here also valued me and loved me.”

Morata explained that he decided to make the switch to Istanbul after Fonseca left, and left ‘when he sensed he was becoming a problem’. He also says he maintains the dream of retiring at Getafe, his first club in the Spanish capital.

“I can’t know what’s going to happen in the world of football, nor do I have a plan for where I’ll retire. What I’ve always said, and what I’ll maintain as long as I can if they don’t blow it up in my face, is the Getafe thing. Even though people laugh and say things, I’m excited about it. They helped me a lot when I was a kid. I had a great time there and I’m very fond of them. That’s what would make me excited, but maybe they don’t want me.”

As it was, Morata decided to move on, and Atletico took the decision that it was time revamp their attacking options, signing Alexander Sorloth and Julian Alvarez for a deals that will come to at least €110m. The veteran forward also noted that he had not spoken to Diego Simeone about it since, but that during their time together, he was surprised by his personable and sensitive side.