A 19-year-old man has been arrested for making online death threats against Álvaro Morata and his family following the Spain captain's penalty miss against Portugal in the UEFA Nations League final.
Morata's wife, Alice Campello, had hit out at online trolls while also sharing some of the hateful messages they had received in the aftermath of Spain's 5-3 defeat on penalties to Portugal in the title game on June 8.
Police confirmed on Tuesday that a young man was arrested in Málaga, Spain, after he confessed to having posted hateful comments on his online account.
The perpetrator had initially tried to cover up that he was responsible for the online threats by reporting to the police that his account had been hacked.
"The inconsistencies in the complainant's statement, who was seeking an alibi to cover up the fact that he was the author of the comments, as well as other checks carried out by cyber agents, ended up incriminating the suspect, who admitted to the facts," the police said in a statement.
Morata, who is on loan at Galatasaray from AC Milan, cast a doubt on his Spain future after his penalty was kept out by Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
"It's possible I won't be back in September [for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers]," the former Chelsea and Atlético Madrid forward said after the game.
"I feel bad for my teammates, but it's part of life. The penalty? I didn't take it well, I could have done better, but there's nothing I can do now."
Morata, 32, has scored 37 goals in 86 appearances for Spain and captained the national team to the 2023 Nations League title and to Euro 2024 glory.
