MADRID - Spain's David de Gea wants the country's new Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to publicly apologise for comments made about the goalkeeper's alleged involvement in a sexual assault case two years ago.
The Manchester United player was not charged, however Sanchez, who was then leader of the opposition, publicly stated that he was "uneasy" with De Gea as Spain's number one heading into the 2016 European Championship.
"From the off I gave a press conference saying it was all a lie but people spoke about me," De Gea told Spanish sports newspaper Diario AS. "In the end the truth comes to light and you could see that it was all a lie."
Sanchez visited the Spain World Cup squad last week, of which Dea Gea is an integral member, before they left for Russia, using the occasion to clear the air with the 27-year-old face-to-face.
While appreciative of the personal apology, De Gea believes he should be given a public one. "I accepted his apology politely. The thing is that what he said back then was in public and for that I think that his apology should also come in public," he said.
"It's also true that the majority of public people have disrespected me and haven't bothered to apologise to me in private. It's easy to talk about others in this country."
Spain begin their hunt for a second World Cup title on June 15 when they face regional rivals Portugal in Sochi. Morocco and Iran, the other two teams in Group B, begin their campaign on the same day.
Hoy volamos a Rusia, justo 4 años después de mi debut con la @SeFutbol😃 Gracias a todos por vuestro apoyo, muy ilusionados! 💪🏻
Off to #Russia2018 today, just 4 years after my debut with Spain 😀 Thank you all for your support, we are very excited! pic.twitter.com/bd4rcYcywe
— David de Gea (@D_DeGea) June 7, 2018