UEFA honours
UEFA European Championship: winner 2012
UEFA Europa League: runner-up 2012
UEFA European Under-21 Championship: winner 2011
UEFA European Under-19 Championship: winner 2007

• Born in Estella, close to Pamplona, he started out with local club CA Osasuna but was scouted at an early age by Athletic before he had a chance to play for their first team.

• An immediate success at the Estadio San Mamés, he made 35 Liga appearances in his debut campaign, aged just 18, and scored a memorable double in a 2-0 win at RC Deportivo La Coruña.

• Continued to blossom over the next few campaigns as Athletic's central midfield conduit and helped the club into the 2009 Copa del Rey final − a 4-1 defeat by FC Barcelona − after which he made his European debut in the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League.

• Played for Spain at the 2009 UEFA European U21 Championship in Sweden and made his senior debut a year later, in an Innsbruck friendly against Saudi Arabia, before earning a surprise call-up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where he made one brief substitute appearance.

• Promoted to U21 skipper for the 2011 finals in Denmark, he led Spain to victory, starting all five matches; made two appearances in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying − away to Lithuania and the Czech Republic − and by the end of 2011 he had yet to play a senior international on home soil.

• Appeared in two cup finals in May 2012, both of which ended in a 3-0 defeat for Athletic – the UEFA Europa League (v Club Atlético de Madrid) and Copa del Rey (v Barcelona); made one substitute appearance as Spain retained the European Championship.