EURO 2016
Uefa guide on how to pronounce Euro 2016 players names
"Noy-ah, Ca-see-yas, Ath-pili-coo-et-a, Sesk, Bay-yer-reen", these are just some of the Spanish names that we've been given a helping hand for by Uefa.
We've all been there. Listening to commentators consistently pronouncing a player's name incorrectly and each time he says it we grow more incensed. “How can he not have done some homework on this?” we ask ourselves. Well, those kind people at Uefa have stepped in to help those who need a little guidance - pretty much all of us - so now there’s no excuse.
For the Spanish names, the tip given is that getting it right, if no background to the Spanish phonetics, can be tough, but getting close enough should be sufficient. And if all else fails a simple nickname should suffice as per the Chelsea example where team-mates would call César Azpilicueta the much easier ‘Dave' to avoid the difficulty of pronouncing his surname.
Here is a selection of the Spanish side and obviously you can brush up ahead of each kick-off throughout the tournament with Uefa’s fairly full guide to all the teams.
Iker Casillas – Ee-ker Ca-see-yas
David de Gea – De-hay-er
César Azpilicueta – Ath-pili-coo-et-a
Héctor Bellerín – Bay-yer-reen
Juanfran – Hoo-an-fran
Gerard Piqué – Pee-kay
Mikel San José – San-ho-say
Sergio Busquets – Boo-skets
Koke – Ko-kay
