Spain Vs France, Paris 2024 Final: ESP Coach Denia Out To Cap Glittering Year With Olympic Gold

Santi Denia views Friday's Olympic gold medal match versus France as an opportunity for Spain to underline their status as European football's finest.  (Medal Table | Schedule & Results | Full Coverage)

La Roja have enjoyed a terrific 2024 to date, with the country's senior and under-19 sides both claiming European Championship titles last month.

Those successes came on the heels of Luis de la Fuente leading the senior team to UEFA Nations League success in 2023, and his men overcame heavyweights Croatia, Italy, Germany, France and England on their impressive run to Euro 2024 glory.

Olympic hosts France lie in wait in Friday's gold medal match at the Parc des Princes, where Denia is backing his team to bring more pride to their country.

"We are delighted that we are a benchmark in Europe and the world, it is a job that has been done for years," Denia said at Thursday's pre-match press conference.

"We have improved and continued to work, believing in a model of play and a profile of players that represent us.

"If we have been waiting for the gold medal for so many years, it is a challenge and an additional excitement."

Spain's only previous gold medal at the Olympics came on home soil at Barcelona 1992, when a team featuring the likes of Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique beat Poland 3-2 in a thrilling final.

Captain Abel Ruiz, who joined Girona in June, is keen to follow in the footsteps of that legendary side.

"We are motivated, we know that the gold is something very important for the country and for us," he said.

"It is something that could be historic and for which we have fought hard, we have been in the training camp for 40 days and it is a lot of effort. We are really looking forward to the final."