Xabi Alonso May Have Broken Rib

Xabi Alonso fears that he has been left with a broken rib after Nigel de Jong planted his foot into the Spaniard's chest during the World Cup final.

The Dutch midfielder was lucky to still have been on the field after the horror tackle that floored Alonso in the opening half of  a foul littered match.

But Howard Webb only issued a yellow card and Alonso was able to carry on, but he was replaced by Cesc Fabregas towards the end of ninety minutes.

Speaking to Sky Sports Alonso said: "It was one of the worst tackles I have ever suffered. It was a tight game, there was respect from both sides and they had to close us down.

"But that challenge was really hard. It was one of the most painful tackles in my life and it was hard to play on.

"I have probably broken a rib, although I am not too worried about that."

Despite the pain Alonso has plenty to be happy about as Spain got their hands on the World Cup for the very first time as they saw off the Holland challenge.

Iniesta struck in the second half of extra time to give the European Champions a 1-0 lead, a lead that they protected until the final whistle.

And Alonso has revealed that if the team continue to work hard then who knows what they might achieve: "Right now is not the time to think about the future, but of course the basics are there with this team," he said.

"The style is there, the mentality is there and the team spirit is there. If we keep working in this way many more big things may come."