Xavi Hernandez

International Carrier:
Xavi was first called up for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, scoring two goals as Spain won the trophy. He made his senior debut on 15 November 2000 against the Netherlands and has since been a regular fixture in the Spanish squad. His trip to the 2006 FIFA World Cup was in doubt due to a knee ligament injury, but he recovered in time and was named as part of Luis Aragonés' squad. His importance to the team was summed up by Aragonés when he said, "People say it is a gamble to take Xavi with us, but I say it would be a crazy gamble to leave him at home." Xavi was named Man of the Match in Spain's match against Ukraine and played in all of Spain's other three matches, before they were knocked out by the experienced French team in the second round.
During UEFA Euro 2008, Xavi played a vital role in Spain's successful campaign. Partnering with fellow Barça teammate Andrés Iniesta in the midfield, he was the fulcrum between the defense and the forward line regularly supplying the strikers with vital passes and crucial assists. He scored the opening goal in the 50th minute in the semi-final against Russia which was the 500th goal ever scored in the European Championships. In the final against Germany, he slid a well-timed pass to Fernando Torres who slotted in the winning goal. He was selected as the Player of the Tournament by UEFA officials.
Xavi was called up again for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers by the new manager Vicente del Bosque and continued his good form from Euro 2008. In their 3-0 win over Estonia, two of the goals were scored from his free kicks. He was selected in the 23-man squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and started all three of Spain's group games.