Jesús Navas set a new record last Monday in Düsseldorf, a timeless footballer who never fails to give his all for Spain. At 38 years, seven months and two days old, he became the oldest Spain player to wear the national team shirt at a major tournament, starting against Albania and as proud captain of a team that was already through to the last 16. Navas, who has been back with the national team for the second half of this season, is an example to the younger players and it was his pre-match pep talk that fired up team-mates, who have the utmost respect for him, for the match.

Shortly after the start of the match against Albania, barely 60 seconds into the game, Navas took a huge knock that left him feeling the pain until the final whistle. "It was a loose ball that was 50/50 and I took a very hard blow. I played the whole game in a lot of pain. Also, it was my kicking leg, my right foot, every time I crossed the ball I felt a very sharp pain", says the Andalusian, who endured stoically, always thinking about the team. "The team doctors asked me how I was feeling, but I wanted to continue, I wanted to play the whole game.

Indeed, the doctors took a serious look at Navas' foot. "When we saw him come out at half-time with a limp, our concerns grew," explains Claudio Vázquez, head of the RFEF's medical services. "We knew that this pain, which was so intense, could limit him and, as the minutes went by, we knew that it was going to get worse and that it was going to be accentuated when he runs, in hard accelerations, in the passes, in the crosses... We were very attentive to the evolution of the injury in the second half".

Navas, despite the adversity, endured the whole match and put in a strong performance without showing and signs of pain in his expressions, he is the first to understand his role and the needs of the team. "We are a team, we are a family. I knew that Dani (Carvajal) had a card and that could prevent him from playing in the next game. What is going to help us achieve success is looking after the group and the family that we are".

The specialists’ assessments agreed that the pain was indeed very intense, especially when passing and crossing, but Navas has been through a thousand battles and knows his body to perfection. "I've been playing with pain for years and I'm used to it, to suffering. And it's also about desire, the desire to be here, to live every minute, to be on the pitch with the national team, with my country. It's the best for me.

The full-back underwent an ultrasound scan immediately after the match in Düsseldorf and  any associated fractures have been ruled out. "The next day we confirmed it with an X-ray and a CAT scan, there was no associated injury". Good news, despite the pain, for a captain who always puts his body at Spain's service.