Spain winger Pedro Rodriguez has hinted he could retire from international football after being frustrated at his lack of playing time in the European champions’ opening two Euro 2016 matches.
After a disappointing first season with Chelsea following a €30 million (Dh124.6m) move from Barcelona, Pedro has played just eight minutes in one substitute appearance as Spain eased into the last 16 with two wins from their opening two matches over the Czech Republic and Turkey.
“I thought in this European Championship I could play more because I arrived in very good form,” Pedro told Spanish broadcaster Movistar.
“Evidently, it is very different. I had other ideas when I arrived here and they are not turning out how I expected.
“It is also difficult to continue being here because it is difficult to assume this role for me. If you don’t play it isn’t worth coming just to make up the numbers, to be with your teammates, even though I am very comfortable here.”
More from Euro 2016:
• Misfiring superstars: Why are big guns like Ronaldo, Muller, Lewandowski and Kane failing to fire?
• Andy Mitten's Euro 2016 diary: A sea of red and black in Lyon as Albania fans witness history
• Euro 2016 daily five: Paul Pogba finds form as France falter, Roy Hodgson's striker dilemma
Pedro left Barcelona in similar circumstances at the start of the season saying it would be “easy to stay, win and appear in the photo with the trophy” after falling behind superstar front three Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar at the Camp Nou.
Pedro, 28, was part of the Spain squads that won the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. He said he hadn’t intended to criticise coach Vicente del Bosque.
“I am thankful to be here in the national team, to be part of this team. It is not an attack against the coach,” he said.
“I apologise if anyone has taken it badly, to the fans, I have spoken with the coach and the players, the most important thing is that we are confident and calm.
“I am grateful to be one of the 23 here. I wouldn’t have achieved what I have without Vicente and my teammates.”
However, veteran coach Del Bosque was characteristically unperturbed about an unwanted distraction from his side’s perfect start to the tournament.
“We try to make sure everyone is happy, but it is inevitable that at some moment the 12 that don’t play won’t be happy,” the former Real Madrid manager said.
Pedro’s comments brought criticism from fellow players.
"I would go with the national team without any conditions," Stoke City forward Joselu told Spanish daily Marca.
“I would like to be there cleaning the boots to play in a Euros.”
However, Pedro’s former Barcelona teammate Gerard Pique said the media reaction was disproportionate.
“We are very used to this, we have a lot of players here who have won a World Cup and Euros. They want to play, to be important (in the team),” Pique said.
“His expectations were to play more at the start of the tournament, it seems like huge news to you, but it isn’t, it is a player who wants to play more.”
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
Background: Chemical Weapons
