The European championship was kicked off on Friday. The expectations on the Spanish national team are high, to say the least, not only because Spain holds the titles of both European and World champion, but also because of the situation in the country.

 Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy himself has asked the team for a victory, because the country needs something to celebrate and to “boost the morale,” at a time when the country is marked by a deep economic crisis.

Gerard Piqué, a player in the Spanish defense, said on Friday that he is confident about the team’s possibilities. 

He said the team is aware of the problems the country is going through and what a victory would mean to many Spaniards.

“We will not let you down"

Piqué, a player from Barça, is also aware that Spain is the big favorite in the championship. This doesn’t worry him, although he knows that this may mean that their rivals are arriving more prepared, which may make the games more complicated.

“People are not stupid and if they put us as favorites it must be for a reason, because of our players and how the team plays,” he said.

“Of course people are happy after we have won the European and the World championships. We know the situation the country is going through and we are prepared to do our best. Don’t worry, we will not let you down.”

Rumors of problems between the players

Piqué played down the importance given to rumors over the last days that relations between players from rival clubs Real Madrid and Barça would be bad, in particular between himself and Madrid player Sergio Ramos, who both play in the center of the Spanish defense.

“Things are always exaggerated," he said. "Sergio Ramos and I don’t have any problem. It was the same when there were rumors that I did not get along well with Pep Guardiola [Barça’s coach, who stepped down in May].”

Spain will play its first game against Italy on Sunday evening in Poland. The other two teams in the group are Ireland and Croatia.

Big sports day on Sunday

Apart from the game in Poland, there will be other big sports moments for Spain on Sunday, with Rafael Nadal playing the final at Roland Garros - a victory away from becoming the only man to win seven titles there - and Fernando Alonso defending his lead in the Formula 1 world championship in the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.