"The national team's objective is to win the Euro: we are always favourites"

Unai Simon sent out an ambitious message in the run-up to the European Championship from the Spanish national team's training camp. Luis de la Fuente's team, before travelling to Germany, will face Andorra and Northern Ireland in a couple of friendly tests in which they will be able to develop their tactics ahead of their clashes with Croatia, Italy and Albania. The Athletic goalkeeper, who spoke to the media for around three minutes, said.

‘Well, I think that, like everything else, in the end, we will need a good team, a solidity of 26 that can be in the Euro and, beyond the unity that we generate, we have to study the rivals, play a good game with our style, but, beyond all that, be a team," he said about the keys to work on in the competition. Asked about 'La Roja's objective, he didn't mince his words.

"Well, the national team aims to win the European Championship, to do well, to be superior to its rivals. Favourites... We are always favourites. It's the press who impose that objective. We have the objective we know we want to achieve and we will fight for it. The level? Well, yes, the European Championships, in the end, and the World Cups are high-level competitions. The group is very competitive," he said.

"We have two teams that were semi-finalists in the last Final Four. Even Albania, who play a different kind of football, but they make things difficult and it's not going to be easy to get through the groups. Even those we have in the round of 16 or quarter-finals, but that's the way the Euro is," he said. Focusing on Lamine Yamal, he took the pressure off him. He doesn't see him as the star of the team, but as someone important, like the rest.

"Well, we will have a lot of players, people who can be more decisive on the pitch. He, with the ball, knows how to get into the box and create chances, but we can't just classify Lamine as a star because, now, with the players who are here and those who are about to arrive, we have a wonderful team and everyone can contribute. If I'm a guarantee in penalties? I think Alex - Remiro - and David - Raya - are also guarantees," he said.