MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, facing graft scandals at home, has hailed the national football team’s unity ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final against Argentina.

In an opinion piece published in daily El Pais, Sanchez said the squad reflected “the Spain that bets on collective talent to win and to show itself to the world as the loved and respected country that it is”.

The Socialist leader, who will attend the match at MetLife Stadium near New York alongside King Felipe VI, said the players embodied “solidarity and team spirit” as well as technical ability.