Spain may not have been at their best yet during Euro 2012 but former striker Emilio Butragueno told L’Equipe he believes they are still capable of retaining the trophy.

The 48-year-old Real Madrid legend - who scored 26 goals in his 69 appearances for Spain - said that the experiences of 2008 and the 2010 World Cup had given the team a clinical edge when it came to the knockout stages of major finals.

Butragueno - nicknamed the ‘Vulture’ in his playing days - believes that this toughness will see them past Portugal on Wednesday in the first semi-final and move to within 90 minutes of an unprecedented third successive major title.

“We have still the means to be European champions,” he said.

“What makes me optimistic is the knockout round matches, as we are playing better and better, without going over the top or in a crazy fashion.

“And when I see what Iker Casillas does in goal, I think it is an enormous advantage to have the best goalkeeper in the world.”

Butragueno, who won six La Liga titles with Real but never won anything with the national side despite being part of several talented squads at major finals, said that there was a toughness and resilience about the team which made them so hard to beat.

“I cannot say that Spain has been at its best after what I saw in the group stage,” he said.

“But for the teams who are genuine contenders for the title the tournament only really begins at the knockout stages. It is only in those matches where you see if a team has the nerves to go on and win the trophy.

“The victories in Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup allowed us to make a lot of progress in this respect. Without ever being at their best except against Ireland (a 4-0 thrashing in the group stage) Spain did what they had to.

“To see how they played together almost robotically was to see that the core of the team has been together for five years.”