Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba are the senior figures, leaders and captains of the Spain national team. They are the representatives of the generation of champions: Busquets won the World Cup and the Euros; Alba had success in 2012 in Kyiv.
The Barcelona pair are in charge of team-mates, who a decade ago when Spain won a magnificent treble, were children barely aware of what the national team was doing.
The video game group
If cards are the entertainment of the most veteran players, the PlayStation is the main distraction for Gavi, Pedri, Eric García, Ansu Fati, Nico Williams, Alejandro Balde and Yéremy Pino, according to Marca.
Between challenges and jokes, the youngsters have generated an atmosphere that those who have been in the team for a long time say has rarely been seen before. Busquets has taken on the leadership of the group, something head coach Luis Enrique appreciates.
Ferran and Pedri
Each generation has its own way of addressing each other. In the La Roja squad, Mora is the nickname used for Álvaro Morata, while it’s Carva for Dani Carvajal.
Ferran Torres and Pedri are inseparable. After the match against Costa Rica, the jokes began about the number of requests for interviews that the youngsters were going to have to face over the coming days and possibly even weeks.
Competitiveness
They finish training and stay on the pitch playing as if they were still on the school playground or on the street. They challenge each other with games on and off the field. PlayStation, darts and table tennis are some of the activities that keep them competitive after breezing past Costa Rica in their Group E opener. “It’s like a summer camp, but for the best,” they say from the inside to highlight the synergy between players and staff.
The 7-0 thrashing of Costa Rica has already added to the good vibes in a team that was sure that the environment created was going to be a vital element in having a great World Cup. “They’re flying,” Luis Enrique says. With his group of youngsters and his veterans, he is hoping to go all the way.
GSFN
