Manchester United playmaker Juan Mata has expressed a desire to force his way back into the Spain squad.
The 26-year-old was a part of the teams that won the World Cup in 2010 and then the European Championships two years later.
However, he has not featured in Vicente del Bosque's starting lineup since last summer's World Cup, when the defending champions were eliminated at the group stages.
Despite having consistently missed out on a place in the squad over recent months, Mata has insisted that he is doing all that he can to earn a recall.
"Many of you are asking me these days about the Spanish national team. As I always say, I have been very lucky to play and to win a World Cup and a Eurocup, to participate in the most important competitions, but I'm still excited as the first day," he wrote on his blog page.
"I am convinced that I'm in a perfect age in my football career and I look forward to keep contributing and achieving more success with my national team.
"That's what I work for every day, training and playing to the maximum, trying to do the best I can. After that, obviously, the manager is the one who picks the players for every game."
To date, Mata has been capped on 34 occasions at senior international level, from which he has scored 10 goals.
Liam Apicella
