Spain stars salute under-21s' European crown

Spain's players took to social networking websites on Tuesday to send congratulations to their junior counterparts, who claimed a second continental title at the Under-21 European Championship in Jerusalem.

"Congratulations to the under-21s!! Special thoughts for my Barca team-mates and for Thiago Alcantara, who scored a hat-trick!!!!" wrote midfielder Andres Iniesta on his Twitter account.

"You are great!" tweeted Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

The senior Spanish squad are currently in Brazil for the Confederations Cup, having defeated Uruguay 2-1 in their opening game on Sunday.

Spain's under-21s beat Italy 4-2 in the European Championship final to register a second consecutive title, mimicking La Roja, who won back-to-back European titles in 2008 and 2012, either side of their triumph at the 2010 World Cup.