Spain celebrate their Euro 2012 victory 

AP

Spain wants to follow up its European Championship victory by stamping its authority over world football with an Olympics triumph, reports The Associated Press.

The World Cup champions won an unprecedented third straight major title when they became the first team to retain the European Championship with a 4-0 victory over Italy on Sunday.

That authoritative triumph in Kiev, Ukraine, was providing an extra springboard of motivation for the Olympic squad.

Spain forward, Iker Muniain says "it would be nice to (win the games) after all they have achieved. We're starting an adventure that we're very motivated to get started on and finish with a medal."

The Spanish federation says Real Sociedad midfielder Asier Illarramendi will replace injured Barcelona player Thiago Alcantara for the games.