By Joe Wright, Goal.com
Spain forward Pedro has voiced his belief the current national side is the best in history, but has warned that the team faces no easy task on Tuesday.
The reigning World and European champion squares off with France in its next qualifier for Brazil 2014, and Pedro has insisted the emerging talent in Les Bleus' squad, coupled with the impact of coach Didier Deschamps and established stars Franc Ribery and Karim Benzema, makes the team a force to be reckoned with.
"For its history, France is respected. With the arrival of Deschamps, the Blues have entered a phase of reconstruction," he said in an interview with lesparisiens.fr. "Many new players arrived such as [Yohan] Cabaye, [Mamadou] Sakho, [Etienne] Capoue, a player who combines power and elegance. Besides, there is Ribery and Benzema. France is a great nation. Do not think we will win easily.
"Against France, it's always special. It is true that currently, it is our turn to shine. But I am convinced that France will return soon. They are young."
Spain beat France 2-0 in the knockout phase of Euro 2012, but Pedro insists the match was not as straightforward as some made it out to be.
"Xabi [Alonso] gave us the advantage, but after, I assure you it was intense on the pitch," he went on. "You can not relax against Ribery and Benzema."
Ahead of the meeting in Madrid, comparisons have been drawn between the current Roja outfit and France's World Cup '98 and Euro 2000-winning side, which featured the likes of current boss Deschamps and former Real Madrid star Zinedine Zidane.
Pedro, however, is in no doubt as to which team is the greatest of all time.
When asked if he felt he was part of the best team in history, he said: "Yes. Seeing the prize list, nobody has achieved what we did. On the pitch, we understand. And when you take pleasure in playing, it helps to communicate outside. There is really a great friendship between us. Some people have been fundamental in uniting like [Iker] Casillas, Xavi Alonso, hyper intelligent players. The arrival of Vicente del Bosque, too, was fundamental."
Follow @GoalUSA on Twitter.
Related
Before You Go
