I couldn't decide who the best player in the world is at the moment. Rather than one single man, I think there are three or four ahead of the rest. I really like Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry and Kaká. It's wonderful watching Kaká play - even when you have to suffer it first hand like I did in Istanbul! And, when it comes to central midfielders, people who play in my position, I'm a big fan of Steven Gerrard and I also like Lampard and Ballack. Right now, though, my perfect XI would be:

• Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas
• Defence: Cafu, John Terry, Carles Puyol, Paulo Maldini.
• Midfield: Xavi Hernández, Claude Makelele, Ronaldinho, Kaká.
• Attack: Ronaldo, Thierry Henry.

It was good to get to back to winning ways against Spurs last weekend after our nine-game run of victories had come to an end with a 2-2 draw at Bolton. Not that we were too depressed about the draw, mind you. Of course we wanted to continue the run but we knew that it could end at any time and we were prepared for it.

We also knew it would be very difficult away at Bolton and in truth a draw is not a bad result - especially as we came back from 2-1 down with ten men. The pitch wasn't in great condition and we knew Bolton would be powerful, direct and aggressive. The tackles were flying in and the fact that we came back to earn a draw is a sign of the improvements we've made. Maybe last year we wouldn't have been able to do that.

Winning again when we returned to league duty after the FA Cup was pleasing too. Now we have to do the same against Manchester United on Sunday. It's a big, big match, not just because of the rivalry but also because we could have a really interesting battle with them for second place. We have a big month ahead of us, but we're all very confident at the moment.

For a footballer, Christmas is very different in England. In Spain, the league takes a break, whereas the Premiership really packs the games in and you have to fit Christmas around training and matches. This year, my family came over from Spain and mostly I just stayed at home and relaxed with them. We had Christmas dinner together, even though I had to train on Christmas day. Otherwise, a footballer's Christmas is more or less normal, spent relaxing at home. Mind you, you can't go out to parties and eating tonnes is definitely out.

We were really lucky this year because we didn't have to do much travelling, which meant I could spend a lot of time with my family. We had two home matches and our away games were only at Everton and Bolton. I think we travelled less than any other team and my family went to all the games. They got some good ones too, including a derby win over Everton. The one downer was my brother Mikel, who plays at my former club Real Sociedad - he spent the whole time reminding me that he was on holiday and I wasn't.

Wow, what a game against Luton! They deserve a lot of credit because they kept the pressure on us and played really well - especially in the first half. They did everything right, had the fans right behind them and things looked pretty bad for us, but we fought back and we're delighted with the 5-3 victory. People are likening it to Istanbul and asking what the secret is, but there's no secret. We certainly don't do it deliberately: it's not good for people's hearts!

I was pleased with my goals. The first one was 30-35 metres out and the second one 60-65 metres, so you could say I scored from a combined distance of 100 metres. I've tried shots from inside my own half before and have always said I'd try again. I saw it was on and was certain it was the right thing to do. I'd gone past their goalkeeper, who was up for a corner, and although it was a long way, I knew then that I was going to shoot. I hit it with a little bit of curl to make sure it was on target.

Stevie Gerrard was shouting at me, saying I should have passed, but when he saw it go in he changed his mind and started applauding! After the game, he was laughing about it and congratulated me. After all, you don't see goals from inside your own half too often.

It's the question everyone asks - and Xabi Alonso is no different. Why have Spain so consistently underachieved at major tournaments? He shrugs: "We all ask ourselves that and I'm not sure there is one definitive answer. You have to examine it tournament by tournament. People come up with all sorts of theories but I think it's more about the football itself. When it has mattered, we haven't measured up.

"Hearing about failure all the time makes a difference too," he continues. "If the Spanish national team had done better historically, maybe the mentality would be different. It could be that there's a bit of fatalism, that by always talking about failure we fail to demand success."

And then, of course, there's the referees. Spain ended the last world cup indignant at what they considered an act of daylight robbery against South Korea. Xabi, who watched from home, prefers to forget. "Everybody who witnessed the game will have their own thoughts. I prefer not to comment and to let people draw their own conclusions," he says. "My reaction was one of great disappointment. To be so close to the semi-final and miss out like that really hurts. It's best not to even think about it, to look forward and try to change history this summer."