"With Luis we started the revolution"

Xavier Hernández made his debut for Spain in 2000, in a 2-1 loss to Holland. This week against the Czech Republic in Granada, the Barcelona midfielder will earn his 100th cap, placing Xavi in an exclusive club of players with a three-figure haul of appearances; Andoni Zubizarreta (126), Iker Casillas (117) and Raúl (102). Widely regarded as the best distributor of the ball in the world, Xavi made more passes than any other player at the 2010 World Cup as Spain added the sport's highest accolade to the European Championship it won in 2008.

Question. Did you ever imagine you would play 100 games for Spain?

Answer. During the World Cup I realized that I wasn't very far off and if the boss kept picking me, it would come. But before that, of course not. Are you crazy? I just wanted one day to play for Barça, something that seemed impossible. To play 100 games for Spain is something I didn't aim for until very recently. And I'm thrilled, really.

Q. What does a player schooled at Barça contribute to the national team?

A. We're romantics. Basically, style, the enjoyment of passing the ball. Catalan players, or those taught at Barça, look after the ball. Those from Madrid, for example, are very competitive, very strong mentally; they never let their shoulders drop.

Q. People have questioned your commitment. Is that because you are Catalan?

A. Yeah, there have been a lot of stupid things said about me, but not at the [Spanish] Federation. I've been accused of wearing the [Catalan] flag on my socks, and it was the Adidas stripes. I've never wanted to get into this because it's ridiculous. What commitment do they want me to show, when I've played 99 games? What more do they want? I've played for Spain since I was 16, I've played with knocks, with sprains, but you can't say to a journalist, "Look, I'm going to force myself to play..."

Q. What has the national team taught you?

A. To compete. You get that from your club but the international competitive level is a plus. If you play a Swedish team with Barça, it is not the same as playing against the best 11 players in Sweden. Wherever you play, it's tough. When you're in the youth teams you play against African sides and you think: "Hang on, are you sure these guys are 17?"

Q. Up to what point is Luis Aragonés transcendent in the national team?

A. I think Luis marked the point of inflection. He was the first to bet on los pequeños, he marked the line. Everything started with him because he brought the small guys together, Iniesta, Cesc, Villa, Cazorla, Silva... with Luis we started the revolution, we swapped the "fury" for the ball and showed the world it is possible to win playing well. If we hadn't won the European Championship, we wouldn't have won the World Cup. Del Bosque was fundamental in that. He tweaked what was there a bit, but not much and without ego, using the same playing idea and trying to improve upon it.

Q. The World Cup has led to you being applauded at every stadium in Spain...

A. It's great. I like the affection of the fans. It's the best thing about the sport.

Q. Of your 99 games, which will you remember?

A. Well, the final in South Africa, no? Or in playing terms, better the Euros in 2008. We played really well in Austria. Personally, my favorite was the match against England at the Bernabéu. They applauded me in Madrid, can you imagine?

Q. How long will you carry on playing for Spain?

A. I don't know, 100 more and I'll quit, no? Honestly, as long as they want me to play, they can count on me. At the moment I'm thinking about Euro 2012, but maybe I'll make it to Brazil. That wouldn't be bad.