Spain coach Luis Enrique has explained why Sergio Ramos was not called up for next month's UEFA European Championship.
Ramos was surprisingly left out of the final 26-man squad that was announced on Monday, and there were no Real Madrid players in the selection at all.
Enrique has since revealed that he spoke with Ramos before the squad announcement, and urged him to recover completely from his recent injury before returning to action for club and country.
"I would like to talk about Sergio Ramos. Obviously it is because he has not been able to compete since January in the right conditions. It has not been easy.
"Yesterday I had the opportunity to communicate it to him. It was difficult and hard. It gives me a bad taste because he is someone who has always been at the highest level, but I clearly believe that it is a decision that seeks the best for the group. I recommended that he be selfish and recover 100% to continue playing for his club and in the future in the national team.
"It has been a decision that we have thought about a lot. I spoke with him at the Madrid-Sevilla game at half-time, but we only talked about his injury. I keep yesterday's conversation private. It is not easy to convey something that is not positive for him. I have to stick to what is best for the team.
"Anything related to Sergio Ramos would generate controversy. I know what it means to train at the highest level. I hope and wish it does not affect the national team, which is prepared to compete.
"It was a very polite and very correct conversation."
