Praise for Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí in Spain
David Raya, Spanish goalkeeper for Arsenal, praised Pau Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal, both 17 and 16 years old respectively, stating they are "touched by a wand," and emphasized that it is "a pride" to have them under the command of Luis de la Fuente.
"It's a pleasure to have such young players with us. For young people, it's an honor to see them in the senior squad. My career is very atypical, each one is different, and they are touched by a wand and demonstrate it every game. I'm glad they're with us and contributing," he said in a press conference about the two Barcelona players.
"The selector has to choose, people can have opinions, and you can't please everyone, but it's the coach who makes the list, and all the players who come want to help the team achieve things. Everyone in the squad is having a good season and is in good form," he added.
Personally, Raya's national team call-up comes at a great moment. His saves in Arsenal's penalty shootout against Porto in the round of 16 earned praise and secured progression.
"The Porto match was very important for the team. Since we didn't perform well, we weren't happy with how we managed the game. We scored the goal we needed to extend it, and it was decided on penalties. We had been preparing for them for a long time for when the moment arrived, and I was fortunate enough to save two. We all scored, and I'm very happy with the team's performance and personally for helping secure passage to the Champions League quarter-finals. Very proud," he noted.
"If I had done what the goalkeeper coach told me to do, I would have saved three. It's a lottery, but in such a demanding and long season, with so many games, you have to focus on the present, or things won't go well. When I'm on vacation, I'll reflect on the season I've had. I'm in a good personal moment, I want to help my team and the national team," he added.
Raya dismissed any fear of injury in the friendly matches the Spanish team will play, stating that neither he nor any of his teammates will hold back efforts for fear of injury at a crucial moment in the season.
"I speak for myself and my teammates, there's no fear of injuries. We're here to prepare for the Euros in the best way possible; it's the final break, and we're fully committed to both games. We're internalizing what the coach asks of us, and we'll give our all, aiming to play good football and win both matches," he expressed.
