New shirts, old caps

Looking to the future while celebrating past glories, on Thursday Spain unveiled its 2012 European Championship strip at an event that also honored the more than 100 caps of Andoni Zubizarreta, Iker Casillas, Xavi Hernández and Raúl González.

Combining merchandizing with homage, and sponsored jointly by Adidas, Uefa, and the Spanish Football Federation, the gala occasion was entitled: "El pasado no cuenta, todo vuelve a empezar" (The past doesn't count, back to the start), referring to Spain's 2008 and 2010 European Championship and World Cup wins respectively, rather than playing down the achievements of four of its greatest soccer players.

"With this new shirt, we want to repeat the success of Austria and Switzerland," said Spain captain Iker Casillas, adding: "We know it won't be easy but we will try and defend our title - I'm sure we are going to do it."

Flanked by the European and World Cup trophies, teammate David Villa said he hoped Spain would be the first side to claim a Euro, a World Cup and another Euro title consecutively: "We are aware that it's never been done, and we want to go down in history as the only side to have managed it."

Playing down the pressure on Spain to live up to its position as the world's top side, Athletic Bilbao's Fernando Llorente jokingly said he hoped the tight-fitting jerseys would improve the side's chances in next year's competition. "I used one like this in the World Cup and it brought luck," he said.

The red jersey was given its first airing at a friendly against England at Wembley last Saturday evening.

Casillas, who equaled Andoni Zubizarreta's all-time record of 126 Spain caps in London, was one of three players honored by Uefa at the event - which was attended by players and management of Spain's top sides - for surpassing a century of international matches.

Zubizarreta and Xavi, who has 106 caps, were also there to receive medals, but Raúl, who has 102, remained in Germany with his club, Schalke, and will pick up his award later. The four are the only Spanish players to join the elite global club of 111 with a centenary of appearances.

First to take the podium to receive a specially made dark-blue cap with gold piping was Zubizarreta. The 50-year-old retired from international soccer in 1998 after a career that saw individual and team success with Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona, appearing in no fewer than 950 official matches during his career.

Zubizarreta represented Spain at four World Cups and three European Championships, starting in six of those. He debuted for Spain in 1985, in a 3-1 friendly victory over Finland and went on to collect a further 125 caps in the following 13 years.

Next up was Casillas. "I am very happy, because since I debuted 11 years ago, I have played every match with the national side as though it were my last. It has been a pleasure, and I hope there will be plenty more." After his next international game he will assume Zubizarrata's mantle as the most-capped player in Spanish soccer. In 2008 he led Spain to their first European Championship in 44 years and in 2010, to its first World Cup.

Xavi Hernández has spent his 14-year career at Barcelona, having come up through the Catalan side's youth team. "I debuted with the national side on the same day as Carlos Puyol," he said, and laughed. "I was very nervous - we lost."

"Xavi is one of those players whose enthusiasm and skill is contagious. He is a true professional, who loves the game, and what's more important, he really understands it," said former national side coach Luis Aragonés.

Absent from the event was Raúl. The 34-year-old played for Real Madrid until 2010, making 741 appearances and scoring 323 goals, the club record. He has not been selected for the national team since 2006, following a 3-2 defeat against Northern Ireland. "He is one of the three most important Spanish players of all time," said Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. "And I would say the most competitive. I'm not at all happy that he was not a part of the national side that achieved such glory. He deserved it."