Luis Enrique delivered effusive praise for veteran Sergio Busquets after he won Player of the Nations League Finals award, despite Spain's defeat by France in the final.
'He's vital for us. He's the captain, but not only that,' Enrique said during his post-match press conference.
'He's also somebody who gives some values off the pitch and on the pitch. He gives you calmness, quietness. He's our pillar on which our defensive and attacking game are based.'
Sergio Busquets (left) and Spain suffered heartbreak after losing the Nations League final
It followed their semi-final exit to Euro 2020 winners Italy on penalties in the summer
It was a major statement from the Spain boss for a player who is enjoying rather contrasting fortunes at club level with Barcelona.
His experience is undeniable but - along with Chelsea defenders Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta - he was the only player above the age of 30 named in the starting XI to face Didier Deschamps' side in Milan.
And despite Busquets' impressive performances for La Roja in recent games, his anchoring role has not been the talk of the town when it comes to dissecting Enrique's men.
Among that starting XI against France were six players aged 25 or below, with a further eight stars in that category taking a place on the bench.
Similarly, there were six players below the age of 25 in the starting XI of the Euro 2020 semi-final defeat by Italy too.
It demonstrates the rebuild 51-year-old Enrique is currently overseeing as Spain seek to assemble a side capable of returning the country to its glory years of around a decade ago.
La Roja are looking to assemble a side capable of bringing glory days of the last decade back
Back-to-back Euros wins either side of the 2010 World Cup was an unprecedented era in Spanish football. By comparison, a Euros semi-final loss and Nations League final defeat is a mere footnote when it comes to results achieved by the team in the 21st century.
The task the former Barcelona boss is therefore facing is an unenviable one, but there is a much greater project at work here which could elevate that footnote to being one of the most crucial stages in the nation's recent footballing history.
Spain swapped the chopping and changing at managerial level - which has seen four managers including Enrique appointed since Vicente del Bosque's retirement in 2016 - with constant alterations among the playing staff in recent years.
In Enrique's first Spain squad of 2019, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Jesus Navas, Dani Ceballos, Rodrigo Moreno and Iker Muniain were all named in the squad, with the latter returning to the fold after a seven-year absence.
Navas and Rodrigo are now in their 30s, while the likes of Kepa and Ceballos do not look like returning to regular action at club level any time soon, forget on the international scene.
While it may be some way off, Luis Enrique has made strides by trusting young talents like Gavi
But in their place are a set of youngsters who are bringing genuine optimism to the table, and they are not playing just bit-part roles either.
Perhaps the most surprising call-up for this international break was 17-year-old Gavi, which even led Enrique to admitting him joining up with the nation's senior squad could have been premature.
'I have no doubt that Gavi will be important,' Enrique said ahead of the Nations League finals.
'Maybe I have called him early, but age doesn't matter. He's more than ready. I like what I see and I want to know if he can adapt to our play.'
On Wednesday, he became the youngest ever Spanish man to play for his country at 17 years, 62 days, having played just 364 minutes in his entire senior Barcelona career before then.
But soon enough against a vibrant home Italian crowd, it became immediately evident just why Enrique had publicly backed him with such confidence.
Mikel Oyarzabal (left) and Ferran Torres (right) led Spain's attack against Italy and France
There was an incredible conviction about Gavi's performance in an advanced midfield position, and a wonderful turn which won a free-kick against France saw him draw comparisons with Andres Iniesta from Jamie Redknapp.
'He has personality, bravery, quality, football to play at this level and on top of it all he's physically superb,' Enrique said after the game.
'He had to mark [Marco] Verratti, who they have just told me was his idol, and he was more than up to the task. It's absolutely not normal to see a player with his personality.
'He has the typical profile that fits our system. He can move between the lines, play, deliver the last pass, he doesn't lose the ball. He's not just the future of the national team; fortunately, he's also the present.'
But the 17-year-old and Yeremi Pino - a year his senior and who also impressed against Italy with his direct runs which have brought Villarreal fans to their feet over the last couple of campaigns - are just the latest talents off the conveyor belt that have been introduced to the national team set-up.
Yeremy Pino, 18, also encouraged with some marauding runs down the right-hand side
While Gavi was shining in midfield, Ferran Torres, 21, was scoring the two goals in the first half which saw Spain reach the Nations League final.
His first goal in particular was a gem and showed the true striker's instinct both Enrique and Pep Guardiola at Manchester City are extracting from him, beautifully guiding home a cross following a perfectly-timed run into the area.
He now has seven goals for club
