As Spain qualified for the semi-finals of the UEFA EURO 2024 by defeating Germany in the quarter-finals with a 2-1 scoreline in extra time, up to four Barcelona players have paved their way to the penultimate stage of the competition.
These four players include Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Ferran Torres, and Fermin Lopez, with Yamal being the most influential of these players for his team. Pedri has also been key for Luis de la Fuente, but his injury in the match against Germany has almost ended his EURO campaign.
Fermin Lopez has had only minimal participation in this competition up to now. Ferran Torres, although not a starter, has still been an important player off the bench for the Spanish coach, and has scored a goal in the match against Albania.
Despite not getting a lot of minutes on the pitch, the former Manchester City winger was still able to record the second-highest speed reached in the tournament, following only Kylian Mbappe in this aspect.
This subject was raised during a recent interview that Torres appeared in, which has been reported by SPORT, as the interviewer commended him for his speed.
In this interview, the Barcelona winger seemed quite confident as he challenged Kylian Mbappe to a race in the upcoming match between Spain and France in the semi-finals of the competition:
“It’s the result of hard work. I’ve always been a fast player, and through my efforts, I’ve been able to reach higher speed peaks. Let’s see if I can race against Mbappé and beat him.”
Kylian Mbappe is widely recognised as one of the fastest players currently playing, and this is definitely a bold challenge from Torres.
Furthermore, the chances of a fair race are also slim in the upcoming match as Torres is not a starter for Spain, and even if he plays along with Mbappe, it would most probably only be in the second half, when the Frenchman might already have tired to some degree.
Still, being the top two fastest players in the competition, fans would be looking forward to seeing such a challenge take place, especially with the Real Madrid-Barcelona rivalry also getting involved in it.