Álvaro Morata breaks his silence on missing the 2026 World Cup: "I would have loved to be there, but it's better to avoid the noise"

Some decisions sting even when you understand them. That's more or less how Álvaro Morata feels about closing a chapter that had been left open: his absence from the 2026 World Cup, the tournament Spain ultimately won with many of the same teammates who helped the forward lift the 2024 European Championship.

The striker, now playing for Leganés in Spain's second division, addressed the topic for the first time in an interview with El Larguero. He spoke without bitterness, though he didn't hide the fact that he would have liked to be part of it. His last call-up to the national team came in September 2025, and since then Luis de la Fuente chose not to include him again for the tournament that La Roja went on to win.

"I would have loved to be at the World Cup. But I went to New York almost feeling like I was part of it, seeing a lot of the players who started coming up with the national team alongside me. You can think about what might have happened if the year had gone differently, but there's no point in that," Morata said, in a reflection that blended a player's nostalgia with the cold clarity of someone who has already moved on.

We're human, and deep down a part of you hopes you'll get the call, there's always hope. And I think I could contribute to the group, help the dynamic, but it also would have been easier for the coach if I wasn't there. Imagine starting a World Cup and everyone immediately asking what I'm doing there. Better to avoid that noiseÁlvaro Morata

Happy for his teammates, with a touch of humor

Far from watching the title with envy, Morata heaped praise on those who did make it to the World Cup. He singled out Borja Iglesias and the rest of the forwards, and highlighted the form of Mikel Oyarzábal and Ferran Torres, saying he was thrilled by the goal Torres scored: "He scored the goal I would have loved to score myself, and I was really happy for him." He also allowed himself a joke about the moment De la Fuente told him he was being left off the squad, revealing that the coach had promised to ride out on horseback with the trophy if Spain became champions. "Maybe there's still time," the forward quipped, with that mix of irony and affection he often uses when talking about the coaching staff.

Why he chose Leganés

The other major topic of the conversation was his current situation on the field. Morata explained that he turned down offers from clubs currently competing in the Champions League to sign with Leganés, a club in Spain's second division pushing hard for promotion. In his own words, motivation mattered more than any number on a scoring chart: "I hadn't enjoyed myself this much in a long time. Scoring 20 or 30 goals wasn't going to change my life, but getting this team up to the first division just might."

It's a line that sums up the forward's mindset well: no hard feelings over what didn't happen with the national team, and plenty of enthusiasm about giving a modest club some of the ambition that has never been missing from his own career.