Dani Olmo doesn't care about the Euro 2024 Golden Boot award
Báo Dân trí•13/07/2024
(Dan Tri) - Dani Olmo affirmed that he is not interested in the race for the Euro 2024 Golden Boot title as the final match between Spain and England is approaching.
Spanish midfielder Dani Olmo is competing with England's Harry Kane for the Euro 2024 Golden Boot, but the 26-year-old says he doesn't care about the award as long as Spain can win the trophy. Olmo and Kane have three goals, equal to four other players. If either of them scores in the final (2:00 a.m. on July 15) at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, they will likely win the Euro 2024 Golden Boot.
Olmo attends a press conference before the final (Photo: Getty).
However, with Spain aiming for a fourth European Championship, Olmo says the team's goals are far more important than individual glory. "It's an extra motivation, if there's a chance, but as long as we win, I don't care if I score or Unai Simon (Spain goalkeeper) scores," Olmo said in an interview ahead of the final. "I don't care about that at all. The important thing is that the team wins." Olmo has provided two assists for his team-mates at Euro 2024, but that is no longer a secondary metric that determines who tops the race for the Golden Boot, so the prize will now be split equally among players with the same number of goals. The RB Leipzig midfielder was not a starter for coach Luis de la Fuente at the start of the tournament, but he made a strong impact when coming off the bench. Olmo replaced the injured Pedri in the quarter-final win over hosts Germany, opening the scoring and setting up Mikel Merino for the winner. Olmo also scored against France in the semi-finals and has scored in all three of Spain's knockout matches. Olmo added: "In this tournament I feel very good and I am in great form, so I have to continue to take advantage of that. It's true that Kane and I are equal on the record, but there are other players who have helped us achieve this, with goals and good play. Speaking of goals, Fabian Ruiz has two, Alvaro Morata has one, if he scores a hat-trick he will win the game. We will still be very happy, it doesn't matter who scores, the most important thing is the result." Olmo scored a hat-trick as Leipzig beat Bayern Munich 3-0 in the German Super Cup final last August. It was Kane's debut for the Bavarian giants. The England captain has yet to win a trophy at club or international level, finishing runners-up with England at Euro 2020. Kane has struggled for form and fitness at the Euros despite scoring three goals. "Of course it would be a dream to score a hat-trick again and win. But I repeat, the goal is to win as a team," Olmo reiterated his biggest target.
Olmo plays an increasingly important role in the Spanish national team (Photo: Getty).
Speaking further about the final, Olmo said that going through a difficult journey will create a highly competitive team. The Spain international said: "We have had a difficult journey and are proud of how we have achieved this result. The style of play of the whole team is what has brought us to the final. We feel very good and full of energy, we have prepared well, both physically and mentally in the best condition. We know we have a unique chance in the final so we are very motivated for the upcoming match. All we are thinking about now is the final. We are only 90 minutes away from glory and can win the European Championship after 12 years (Spain last won the Euro in 2012). Our motivation is very high."
England advance to Euro 2024 final after overcoming many difficult challenges (Photo: Getty).
Olmo admits that England’s road to the final has been difficult and that their opponents have shown great fighting spirit throughout the tournament and deserve full respect, but he does not think Spain need to change their style of play when facing England. Olmo said: "If our style of play is effective, why change it? We are playing with a unique and individual idea, that is who we are as a team. We can always do new things and improve as the coach says. But anyway, the way we play is the same. England are a team that have shown that they never give up, but we have also had difficulties. It was not easy to play against Germany, to win in extra time or to beat France. It is true that we played well. But we lost the semi-final of the Euros three years ago. We learned from that bad defeat and learned to improve. We are not concerned about the path England have taken, we are focused on our own path. For me, the two strongest teams are the two teams in the final. We will try to focus on ourselves and do our best."
Comment (0)