Jordi Alba has claimed that he “would like” to play with Spain teammate Lucas Vazquez at Barcelona as “he can revolutionise a game at any time”.
Vazquez’s late shows for Real Madrid last season culminated in a Champions League medal and place in Spain’s Euro 2016 squad, and Alba hailed the winger for his all-round game – to the extent that he would be an asset to any team, including his own.
“First of all, we need to focus on all three teams in our group [Croatia, Turkey and Czech Republic],” the left-back said at an Adidas event, AS reports.
“For me, it’s the most difficult group of the European Championship, but hopefully we can pull through it.
“There are some very good teams in the tournament, but for now we’re focused on these three.
“Besides the quality he has and how quick he is, Lucas’ attacking and defensive work for his team stands out.
“He’d be an important player for any team because he can revolutionise a game at any moment, whether it be from the start or off the bench. I’d like to have Lucas Vazquez on my team.
“It was a perfect tournament for me because I came into it with only three games for the national team. Del Bosque trusted me when there were people who didn’t.
“I have to thank him for giving me a position that wasn’t mine. He took a big gamble on me and it was great.
“[On comparisons with the 2014 World Cup] that was a different tournament. In Brazil, we weren’t at the level that we and our people expected.
“The past has been forgotten and this [tournament] will be different. New players have brought in great enthusiasm, which we had already, and our mentality is different.
“In football and life, you have to keep doing the positive things and learn from the negatives.”
