Cesc Fabregas Revelling In Spain Role

Cesc Fabregas was delighted to start for Spain in their first Confederations Cup encounter at the weekend and says he has always felt like a part of the squad.

The Arsenal captain has had to remain patient as Barcelona duo Xavi and Andres Iniesta have taken the two attacking midfield positions, but against New Zealand he was given a space.

With Iniesta out injured, Fabregas can shine in the tournament in South Africa, but he insists that he has nothing to prove as he has played so many times for Spain before.

"Naturally every player wants to start games, but there are fantastic players in this team, all of whom are good enough to be out on the pitch. That's why breaking into the starting eleven is no easy task," he told FIFA's official website.

"It's not as though I wasn't a regular before this tournament. I came on as a substitute in many games and played 30 minutes or more, so in total I played for longer than a lot of the players who started.

"I've always felt like a regular on the team, and I think I've played my part in our success."

If Spain can beat Iraq on Wednesday then they will progress to the semi-finals of the tournament and expect to meet either Brazil or Italy from the other group.

"We know we're favourites but we've got to be wary going into these matches," Fabregas continued.

"We saw the game between South Africa and Iraq before travelling to the stadium and we're going to analyse the video. We'll be taking the remaining matches extremely seriously."

Lucas Brown, Goal.com