Pedri, the Spanish national team player, emphasized that the current World Cup is one of the toughest and most closely contested editions, pointing out that pre-tournament predictions were not decisive on the field.
Pedri
Club: Barcelona
The Spanish national team is preparing to face Portugal in the round of 16 next Monday.
Pedri said in statements to the Spanish newspaper AS: "The World Cup is a very difficult and closely contested tournament, many teams that were considered strong contenders on paper found themselves trailing in matches, whether they came back to win or not."
He continued, "The level was very high overall, and this is clear to everyone, and I must congratulate the Cape Verde national team, they had a great tournament and did not lose any match in regular time."
Regarding the match against Portugal, he said: "It's true that we are talking about two big teams, both capable of winning the World Cup, we are among the contenders, and they are a great force, and I think it will be a very tough match, of course, we want to qualify at any cost, so it will be a great and very close match."
He continued, "We haven't watched the UEFA Nations League final against Portugal again, but we will analyze it now with the coach and analysts, we will look at what needs to be corrected, what has improved, and what still needs improvement, there are always things that can be developed, and we must remember that we lost that final, we want to correct it in the World Cup."
He added, "Vitinha is a world-class player, especially with the ball, and his way of controlling the pace of play, every time I faced him, I was surprised by the amount of running he does, he never stops, always finds the free teammate with his passes, and he is indeed a top-level player, he is one of the best midfielders in the world."
Regarding the message he sends to the Spanish fans, he said: "Trust us, with every round we qualify for, we will become stronger, the confidence within the team is amazing."
He concluded his talk about a potential final against Lionel Messi, the captain of Argentina, saying: "Playing in a World Cup final against Messi would be an unbelievable dream, because it means we have reached the final, I enjoy watching him, and what he does at this age can only be done by a player of his quality, for me, he is the greatest player in history."
The Spanish national team qualified at the top of Group H, which included "Cape Verde, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia," and the Spanish team won in the round of 32 against Austria with three goals to none.
