Spanish chief hopes for Euro luck

Posted Sunday, May 20, 2012 by ESPN

Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Angel Maria Villar believes the country are worthy of being considered favourites for Euro 2012.

After triumphing at the previous edition of the tournament, Spain went on to win the World Cup in 2010. After qualifying for Euro 2012 with an unbeaten record, the team have unsurprisingly been tipped to retain the Henri Delaunay trophy. While Villar is aware that the quality in the Spanish national team makes them the squad to beat at the upcoming competition, he is wary of underdogs upsetting the party.

"We deserve the tag of favourites, but it's not just the teams we all know about that can beat you, but every national side. In Portugal in 2004, Greece won the title," he said to Marca.

If Vicente Del Bosque's men are successfully, they will not only achieve the honour of winning the tournament twice in a row, but the team can carve Spain's name into the history books by becoming the first country to win three major international competitions consecutively. Villar is hopeful that luck will be on the team's side, so they can succeed in their endeavour.

"It will be difficult because no one has succeeded. That doesn't mean that we won't go forward and win. It's a small tournament, and you have to be lucky to avoid injuries because it's impossible to recover," he stated.

"And in the game, the ball can hit the post and a champions' luck can come and go."