Cazorla desperate to seize World Cup chance

The 29-year-old is playing in the tournament for the first time after illness ruled him out of the 2010 edition and he wants to make his mark in Brazil this summer

Spain attacker Santi Cazorla says he is desperate to seize his opportunity in his debut World Cup.

The Arsenal star was part of both the Euro 2008 and 2012 victories but missed out on la Roja's triumph in South Africa four years ago due to a hernia.

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The 29-year-old remembers the years of failure Spain experienced during his youth, but those memories have been banished by recent fortunes and he is keen to add a World Cup win to his list of illustrious achievements.

"I think that Spain as a country has always been obsessed with the World Cup," Cazorla told Arsenal's official website. "We often spoke about the different World Cups throughout history.

"For Spain, it was always a pain, getting so far and then getting knocked out and when you're young a lot of people talk about it.

"The 1994 one was the first one I can remember. Among my clearest memories, like for a lot of other people, is Diego Maradona and what he did.

"My favourite was probably the last one. For everyone in Spain, getting to the final and then Andres Iniesta's goal… For the whole country it was great.

"It's a dream for me to play in a World Cup, especially after the last one in South Africa and what we achieved. It's probably the last chance for a few of us to play at the World Cup, so I want to seize the opportunity and do my utmost to enjoy it."

Holders Spain follow up their clash with Netherlands on Friday with Chile on June 18, before a final group game against Australia on June 23.