Euro 2024: Pedri living up to Spain’s ‘infinite’ expectations, says De la Fuente

The 21-year-old, who struggled with injury problems last season, scored his first and second international goals in Spain’s final warm-up match before the European Championship.

Spain’s Pedri celebrates after scoring a goal during the friendly match between Spain and Northern Ireland. | Photo Credit: AP

Pedri is rediscovering his best form and will have an important role to play in Spain’s European Championship campaign, head coach Luis de la Fuente said after the Barcelona midfielder scored twice in a 5-1 win over Northern Ireland.

The 21-year-old, who struggled with injury problems last season and didn’t play for Spain in 2023, scored his first and second international goals in Spain’s final warm-up match before the European Championship.

“We have been very happy and because he is a very good player and he knows that I have confidence in him and he is going to give us very good things in this competition,” De la Fuente told reporters on Saturday after the win.

“I have always talked about it from the point of view of the confidence he has to have. I said that ‘Pedri has to meet Pedri’, in the figurative sense of gaining confidence. The best version of Pedri we don’t know where he is, because he’s so good. We expect so much from him that it’s infinite.

“It has to be the player who takes that step forward, as he has done, to be sure and confident to do the things that only he can do.”

Spain starts its Euros campaign on June 15 against Croatia in Group B. It will also take on Italy and Albania.