体坛英语新闻：Spain coach Del Bosque: Don't rest on your laurels

MADRID, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Spain coach Vicente del Bosque this Wednesday sent out a message to his World Cup winning players that they should not be satisfied with their achievements to date and that they should always think about achieving new success.

Spain's triumph in last summer's World Cup finals was the country's greatest ever footballing achievement. It followed on the back of the 2008 European Championship win to make Spain one of the few countries to have held the world and European crowns at the same time.

However, as Spain prepares for two qualifying games for the 2012 European Championship, Del Bosque warns that his players need to maintain their desire for excellence.

The Spanish face Lithuania on Friday before visiting Scotland the following Tuesday and Del Bosque believes they have to continue working to better their past achievements.

"Footballers have short careers and when you realize what has happened, it is over. You have to enjoy every moment and not relax, you can't live on what you have already done in the past, you have to look to the future and carry on winning things. That is what makes a good sportsman," he said in an interview published in the online version of Marca.

"The day that lose enthusiasm for winning things is the day that you should start to think about leaving the game,"

The coach refused to accept credit for his country's World Cup triumph.

"I was simply lucky enough to be the man who took them to the competition. We have got together a generation of players who have set a style of play and several players who play in midfield."

Del Bosque is a former coach of Real Madrid, but he recognized that the root of Spain's success came from players such as Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique, who have progressed through the Barcelona youth system.

"It has an identity with Barcelona, because it has a lot of players who habitually play for Barca," he said, before accepting that the World Cup win had given a morale boost to the country, which has over 4 million people out of work.

"We have only won a World Cup, but if we have helped people feel better, then it is a welcome triumph," he concluded.