Santi Denia views Friday’s Olympic gold medal match versus France as an opportunity for Spain to underline their status as European football’s finest.

La Roja have enjoyed a terrific 2024 to date, with the country’s senior and under-19 sides both claiming European Championship titles last month.

Those successes came on the heels of Luis de la Fuente leading the senior team to UEFA Nations League success in 2023, and his men overcame heavyweights Croatia, Italy, Germany, France and England on their impressive run to Euro 2024 glory.

Olympic hosts France lie in wait in Friday’s gold medal match at the Parc des Princes, where Denia is backing his team to bring more pride to their country.

“We are delighted that we are a benchmark in Europe and the world, it is a job that has been done for years,” Denia said at Thursday’s pre-match press conference.

“We have improved and continued to work, believing in a model of play and a profile of players that represent us.

“If we have been waiting for the gold medal for so many years, it is a challenge and an additional excitement.”

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