Martínez eager to expand on international honours

Almost a year on from achieving FIFA World Cup success with Spain, Athletic Club Bilbao midfielder Javi Martínez is hoping to realise another international goal at next month's UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Having recently put pen to paper on a new deal which ties the 22-year-old to San Mamés until 2016, Martínez is now free to concentrate on helping his club attempt to secure a top-five Liga finish before he assumes the role of Spain captain at the Under-21 finals in Denmark.

La Roja face tough opposition when their campaign gets under way on 12 June, with England first up in a group that also contains the Czech Republic and Ukraine. The fact that Luis Milla's side are in the mix at all is thanks in part to Martínez and fellow FIFA World Cup winner Juan Mata, both of whom returned to the set-up to help push the side into what turned out to be a victorious play-off against Croatia.

"Obviously I started to play the qualifying phase for the Under-21s and I'm the type of person that doesn't like to leave things half-finished," the Estella-born player told UEFA.com. "[After the FIFA World Cup] Mata and I spoke with [Milla] before returning and there were no problems whatsoever," he added. "On a personal note I was thrilled to be back in the mix. As a group we all decided it was a goal to get to Denmark and in the end we did which was marvellous."

A regular for Athletic Club over the past five seasons, Martínez admits his first steps into top-flight football helped to turn him into the battle-hardened midfielder that is currently admired throughout Spain and beyond. "When I started out [in 2006] it had been a particularly bad year for us and we were in the drop zone until the final few games," he explained. "This forced me into taking an express course in terms of trying to control situations. It wasn't ideal but it taught me to look after myself in difficult circumstances."

A UEFA European Under-19 Championship winner in 2007, Martínez continued his rapid rise on the international front and was overjoyed when called up to Vicente del Bosque's squad for the FIFA World Cup a year ago. "To have been called into such a select group of players was incredible," he reminisced. "When we then actually won the thing, well, it rounded off the perfect script. It was an explosion of happiness and the welcome we received back in Spain was really beautiful."

Despite already reaching the pinnacle on the international front, the former CA Osasuna B midfielder insists there are plenty of challenges ahead. Next month's U21 championship could provide a gateway to the 2012 Olympic Games, the same year that Spain will be hoping to defend their European title at UEFA EURO 2012. "These are two dream events for any player and of course I would like to be involved in both," Martínez said. "It's not me who decides on whether I'm involved though; that's up to the coach."