Atlético Madrid star Álex Baena recently gave an exclusive interview, not only analyzing Atlético’s "beating Real Madrid but struggling against weaker teams" dilemma and defending Spain manager Luis de la Fuente, but also openly expressing his admiration for Pedri – stating that since playing alongside Pedri in the U19 national team, he has been "hooked" by the latter’s ability, even saying "he would give the Ballon d’Or to Pedri".
When talking about Atlético’s trait of "performing well against strong teams but faltering against weaker ones", Baena admitted: "That’s the charm of football – it’s always unpredictable. You can beat Real Madrid 5-2, then draw the next week due to factors beyond our control. We’ve brought in 8 or 9 new signings, and integrating them into a team with an established style is really tough. Our current points might be lower than expected, but we’ve played really well except for a few games. I think if we had won against Espanyol that day, the momentum would have changed. We had a slow start, but now we’re in great form – that’s the momentum we have to keep."
Regarding 外界 criticism of De la Fuente over the Yamal incident amid conflicts between the national team and clubs over injuries, Baena argued it was unfair: "I can’t comment too much because I wasn’t in the squad then, but since I joined, the staff have taken the best care of us. There’s always this understanding between the coach and players – he knows our conditions, and we’ve never had any issues. It seems like because Yamal is a Barcelona player, the incident was blown out of proportion. If it were an Atlético, Celta or Leverkusen player, it wouldn’t be the same – after all, there have been times before when players had to leave due to injury or discomfort. In the end, it’s the excessive attention caused by Barcelona and Real Madrid that made the coach come under fire, but he truly cares about us 100%: if we feel even a little unwell, he’ll let us rest; if we tell him we’re ready to play, he’ll put us in. After all, he’s not in our bodies – he can’t say we can’t play for us."
Baena also lamented Spain’s lack of "national team culture": "It’s really lacking! It feels like the national team is only about Barcelona and Real Madrid, but we players come from ten different clubs. When you play in other countries, you see how they unite to support their national team, but here, it’s first Barça and Real, then the national team, and then other clubs. We should look back at the Euros – the whole country supported us regardless of club affiliation. We only get that atmosphere once every two years, but we should have it every international break, not divided by club colors."
Asked if the absence of Yamal and Nico Williams had drastically changed the team’s style, Baena said: "We have a fixed style, and it’s normal to miss them – they’re among the best in the world in their positions. But we have other teammates who are in great form at their clubs. We miss Yamal and Nico, but our team is strong enough – no matter who plays, we can get the job done."
Finally, talking about Pedri, Baena turned into a "die-hard fan": "He’s not just the best in his position in the world, but also one of the top players in football! Since I first played with him in the U19 national team, I’ve been hooked – I’ve always been his supporter. Now people keep debating whether Yamal or Dembélé deserve the Ballon d’Or, but if I had a vote, I’d definitely give it to Pedri. After all, how hard is it to be the core of both Barcelona and the Spanish national team?"
When asked about Spain potentially equaling their all-time unbeaten record if they don’t lose to Bulgaria, Baena admitted: "I didn’t even know we had a chance to match the record. Right now, all we’re thinking about is winning to secure qualification. After playing Georgia, we’re focused on Bulgaria and the November international break; when the World Cup comes, we’ll check our form then."
