Alvaro Morata would be happy to start each of Spain’s World Cup games on the bench if it meant the country won the tournament.
Morata, a striker for Atletico Madrid, has scored in both of his nation’s matches in Qatar so far off the bench, beating Costa Rica and drawing with Germany.
These four points mean that Luis Enrique’s team can advance to the knockout round with just a point against Japan on Thursday.
Morata claims he will not be upset if he is not included in the starting lineup for that game and will be happy to support his teammates.
“At club level you’ve got more time to train, more space, and obviously, you want to play,” he told Onda Cero. “But here, I can assure you that it doesn’t bother to me at all [to be a substitute].
“In fact, if I had to choose coming on from the bench in all the games, or even not playing, but the team wins the World Cup, I would sign up for it. I would cheer the team on from the bench.
“In the end, we have a goal, a dream, and all of us feel important. Everyone is important in different ways. All of us are important and everyone has his function.
“Many players who don’t play can be the ones who give more to the group. Historically, it has been like that in the national team.
“I always give an example to the people that want to play but don’t play as much as they want. They have to look at Pepe Reina and Iker Casillas.
“They were here [previous World Cups] without playing, but they always gave their best, so they are examples to follow, and they got the credit that they deserved, whether they played or not.”
How Morata endures criticism despite being Spain’s joint-fifth highest scorer of all time
With 29 goals, Morata ranks joint-fifth all-time in scoring for Spain, but he is frequently criticised by fans.
The 30-year-old says his own criticism has been the most damaging but acknowledges that he has spent too much time hearing other people’s opinions of him.
“I enjoy doing my job,” he added. “People can call me crazy, but I have spent maybe eight or nine years of a career that can last 15, thinking about what, how, and when people say.
“A person has to be happy as he is, assume the good and bad things, and don’t let anyone take away your happiness.
“If there is one thing I regret in my professional career and in my life, it is having been my own worst enemy many times.”