Ceballos: I think Zidane will have seen the U21 Euros, but he has clear ideas Real Madrid The midfielder wants to play 40 games next season

Dani Ceballos' Real Madrid future is up in the air, despite impressing as Spain won the European Under-21 Championship this summer, but the youngster is open to trying out something new next season, be it in LaLiga Santander or oversees.

The midfielder was a key cog in the La Rojita side that impressed in Italy this summer, playing a starring role alongside Fabian Ruiz.

Just hours after being crowned as European champion, Ceballos honoured his word while at the airport in Ljubljana and sat for an interview with MARCA away from the rest of the squad.

How good does it feel to have that medal around your neck? What does it mean to you? I'm very happy because a lot of work has gone into winning this trophy, so the satisfaction is doubled. I'm happy with everything we've achieved. Two years ago you were named Player of the Tournament but fell one step short of winning the trophy. Is this year better? I've been lucky enough to participate in two European Under-21 Championships and in one I won and in the other I was named the best player, so I can't complain. But, without a doubt, I'd have chosen two medals and not to have been named Player of the Tournament in either of them. The most important thing is that football gives you a second chance and on this occasion we were able to exact revenge against Germany. Have you changed much in the last two years? I feel as though I've matured a lot as a player and as a person. It's something that's helped me have such a great tournament. I'm very confident and despite the fact that the season has just ended, I want LaLiga [Santander] to start already. I have a feeling that next season will be my year. How did the team take the debut defeat to Italy? Against Italy we had a spectacular opening half hour, but then we had to deal a lot of pressure [for the remainder of the match]. After that 3-1, we grew in confidence and optimism. It was shown that we went from less to more and we ended the competition like a cyclone. Are you aware that the entire country was behind you? I know that Spain was with us from the first day, but I think the whole continent has marvelled at our football.

How important was the European Championship to you after something of a complicated year? I was very excited to play in it. From the first moment I told Luis [de la Fuente] to count on me and I wanted to be part of this great event. Now I'm happy for many reasons: for participating, for playing well and for becoming a champion. There's no doubt that the European Championship has been a great opportunity to showcase talent for all the U-21 players. For us, an occasion like this can impact our lives. We all have good contracts and good teams, but we'll now always have this trophy. I thanked all of my teammates for this trophy. You previously said that Zinedine Zidane liked football and he will have seen this tournament. What does your future hold? I imagine Zidane will have seen it, but he has very clear ideas and we all know his thoughts. Now it's time to rest well, to disconnect after the season and in the next few weeks we'll think about the future.