Spain striker David Villa said the 4-0 demolition of Ukraine in their opening match has proved they are serious contenders to win the World Cup.
'There were people who doubted our ability and we were all very keen to show that Spain has a great team and can aspire to everything,' the Valencia player said.
'We were always confident in our ability, we knew what we could do and we will prove that we can do it again.'
Villa, the top-scoring Spaniard in the Primera Liga last season with 25 goals, struck twice against Ukraine and has scored four times in nine appearances for Spain.
The 24-year-old, who Valencia bought out of his contract at Real Zaragoza for 12 million euros ($15.20 million) last year, said he was always confident he could produce the goods.
'I knew I'd be able to hold my head up high and perform well and with a bit of luck everything would work out well,' he said.
'I might even have scored more goals if I had stayed on the pitch, but the boss wanted to take me off and keep me fresh for the upcoming games and that is also a source of pride to me.
'I'm very happy because they were some of the most important goals of my career, but I hope that there are even more important things still to come.'
