Today's Edition
London (PA Media/dpa)
Spain winger Ferran Torres is convinced teenage scoring sensation Lamine Yamal is utterly unencumbered by the spotlight even in encounters with the highest of stakes.
Luis de la Fuente's men are tied 2-2 on aggregate going into their home second-leg Nations League quarter-final encounter with the Netherlands in Valencia on Sunday.
But that is unlikely to stress the 17-year-old forward, who De La Fuente earlier this week predicted could be an "historic player" after a standout season at Barcelona that has already seen him score 13 goals in 38 appearances across four competitions.
"I don't know if Lamine knows the pressure, to be honest," his Barca team-mate Torres told Spanish media.
"Just watch him play, he seems like he's playing in a schoolyard. I hope he can continue like this for a long time."
Nations League holders Spain have gone on a 17-game unbeaten run since losing 1-0 to Colombia in a London friendly last March, and have not lost in a competitive contest since their Euro 2024 qualifying defeat to Scotland in March 2023.
De la Fuente said: "The problem with winning is that you get used to it, and it's hard to lose your edge. We want to continue in that vein, knowing that the challenges get tougher every day.
"Our opponents know you better every day and are very good. Tomorrow's game could easily be a Euro cup final. This is very difficult, and it gets tougher every day. We want to remain poised to win, and we are. We're going to give it our all to keep winning."
