Barcelona have confirmed David Villa will not be going to Euro 2012 with Spain after losing his battle for fitness following a broken leg.
The striker s inclusion in the Vicente del Bosque s final 23-man squad has been in doubt since he fractured his tibia during Barca s FIFA Club World Cup semi-final win over Al-Sadd in December.
The former Valencia man had returned to training in the past month and was hoping to feature in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao on May 25.
Following further analysis of the 30-year-old s condition, Barca team doctor Ricard Pruna and his medical team have recommended Villa should not be selected for Spain for the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine.
I ve tried, but I can t be 100 percent to play the Eurocup. I called Vicente del Bosque to say him. It s the honest thing I could do, Villa said via Twitter.
Spain s all-time leading scorer with 51 goals in 82 appearances, Villa collected the Golden Boot as the tournament s leading marksman during his country s success at Euro 2008.
His absence is likely to leave Valencia s Roberto Soldado, Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente and Chelsea s Fernando Torres competing for a starting berth in Del Bosque s first team.