"There is no leader who stands out from the rest" – Barcelona star Pedri explains 'difference' between Spain and other teams at Euro 2024
Barcelona midfielder Pedri has opened up on the major difference between Spain and other UEFA Euro 2024 participating sides ahead of the start of the continental competition.
Spain, who are currently third in the UEFA coefficient rankings, are set to start the Euro 2024 on the back of two friendly victories. They recently defeated Andorra 5-0 and Northern Ireland 5-1 in two matches.
At a press conference on Tuesday (June 11), Pedri asserted that Spain's dressing room is filled with leaders and highlighted the strong bond between all of the stars. The Barcelona star said (h/t Independent):
"I think that these last few days, we have talked about it, that the greatest asset we have is that we are a team. We are a family both on and off the field. The leader is the team as a whole. There are many players who are captains who help us a lot, they act as leaders, but I think the big difference with all the teams is that we are a team and there is no leader who stands out from the rest."
Ahead of Spain's Euro 2024 opener against Croatia, Pedri remarked:
"It's important to get off to a good start. But we've already seen that many teams have won a big tournament despite losing their first game. You don't have to be anxious about that game."
Pedri, whose national team will face Italy and Albania later, concluded:
"It's clear that we are going to go out to win and we are not going to want to leave anything out on the pitch and above all, that, go out with everything. We are really looking forward to it, we are very young and we are really looking forward to it starting now."
Spain will play their first Group B clash of the Euro 2024 on June 15.
Barcelona star to miss Euro 2024 opener
Poland have announced that Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski sustained an injury in a 2-1 friendly win against Turkey on Monday (June 10). A statement read (h/t BBC):
"Lewandowski suffered a rupture of the biceps femoris muscle, which will exclude him from the first match of the tournament."
Poland will begin their UEFA Euro 2024 campaign against Netherlands in a Group D clash on June 16. They will later take on Austria on June 21 and France on June 25 in the group-stage of the tournament.
Last campaign, Lewandowski found the back of the net 26 times and laid out nine assists in 49 outings across competitions for Barcelona.