"Lamine Yamal will mark an era"

Former Barcelona player Gerard Pique has said in an interview with 'Sport Bild' that striker Lamine Yamal "will mark an era".

The retired defender went on to say that "there is a general generational change at the European Championship". "New players are emerging, like Lamine Yamal here in Spain, in Germany it's Musiala, in England they have Bellingham," he added. "There are several young players with a great future and the European Championship will be a turning point," he added.

Asked about the chances of hosts Germany, Pique said that "home advantage could help the Germans a lot", given that "their team is young and is currently rebuilding".

Pique said he was "surprised by players who were not there" when he saw Germany's call-up as "Hummels is a strong player, with an incredible career, who had a good season at Dortmund".

He also compared the national team coached by Julian Nagelsmann with Spain: "Our situation is similar to that of the German team. It's a generational change. In recent years Spain have always looked good in tournaments and are title contenders," he said.