BARCELONA
Alba: 'I don't know why I wasn't called up, I never said anything bad about Luis Enrique'
The left-back spoke about his absence from Luis Enrique's first squad for Spain's upcoming friendlies and says he didn't expect not the be called up.
After missing out on a call-up to the Spain national team under Luis Enrique, Jordi Alba put in a performance that would have him in any national team in the world against Huesca on Sunday night. He scored and set up two goals and spoke to the media after the game about his absence form the manager's 24-man squad.
The left-back said, "It surprised me not to be called and I would have like to do. Everyone knows it a decision by the manager, and I must respect it," he said after the snub. "I don't know why I'm not going. When I am bad, I can tell, and when I'm good too. I feel happy with the game we played."
"I was dedicating it to my son, who is my happiness every day," he said after his goal celebration when he covered his eyes and blew a kiss to the crowd. "I've been at Barcelona for many seasons and like in the past, I have started well. It depends on him. My return to the national team doesn't depend on me."
"I feel very good in every way and I don't know what the manager will think. The same was I didn't question when I went, I won't question it not," he said. "I don't have to called anyone to ask for explanations. I never spoke badly about Luis Enrique, not did I have a bad relationship with him. My comments in the past can be checked. I never said or thought he was a bad manager, to the contrary. I only said that I wanted to play more minutes," he said.
