Vicente del Bosque confirmed his final selection on Thursday afternoon and both Barca players were included despite having never won a cap for Spain, along with Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez. Valdes joins the squad as third-choice goalkeeper, behind Iker Casillas and Pepe Reina, having edged in front of Diego Lopez and David De Gea in Del Bosque's plans.
Pedro, 22, is also included after scoring 22 goals in all competitions for Barcelona this season and the forward joins Jesus Navas, Juan Manuel Mata, Fernando Llorente, Fernando Torres and David Villa in Del Bosque's attacking ranks. Torres and Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas have both been named in the squad despite nursing injuries that prevented them from featuring at the conclusion of the Premier League season.
The coach was forced to cut seven players and most notable among those was midfielder Marcos Senna, who played a key role in the country's success at Euro 2008. Fellow Villarreal star Santi Cazorla and Fenerbahce striker Dani Guiza also miss out despite their participation at Austria and Switzerland. Osasuna defender Cesar Azpilicueta and Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo make up the remainder of the seven players that have been culled from Del Bosque's preliminary squad.
Del Bosque admits he has a ''slight concern'' over his side's walking wounde. When asked how the affected players were doing at today's squad announcement in Madrid, Del Bosque said: ''There is a slight concern but they are here and that's because the reports from the medical staff and physical trainers are positive and we are confident they will be at 100% at the start of tournament.''
Speaking about the three newcomers, Del Bosque said: ''They have had a very good season and they are replacing others who, due to circumstances, have had a worse season, and they are coming in to cover all possibilities.''We are thinking with the head but the heart also helps. In relation to the Confederations Cup we have made four changes, and eight with respect to the European Championships. Almost 75% of the squad that were champions of Europe are in the list.''
With regards to the players that missed out, Del Bosque admits it was not easy to end the World Cup dreams of those still hoping to make the final cut. ''Of course it's tough to discard the players who were in the first list. (But) now we need to look to the future. These are the best players for us,'' the former Real Madrid coach said. Llorente and Martinez were thrilled to make the squad.
Llorente, 25, said: "To play in the World Cup is the best a professional footballer can hope for. As well as that it is also good for Athletic, a sign that they are doing things well. My dream has come true. I've had it since a child and it's great to be able to fulfil it. "It gives me great joy and I can't wait to start and join up with my team-mates,'' he told Radio Marca.
The 21-year-old Martinez added: "This is good news. I will be there with another team-mate, which is very positive for Athletic. I cannot explain what it means for a professional footballer, but I never imagined I would be this lucky.'' Spain, who have never won the World Cup, will face Chile, Honduras and Switzerland in Group H.
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina (Liverpool), Victor Valdes (Barcelona)
Defenders: Raúl Albiol (Real Madrid), Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Gerard Piqué (Barcelona), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
Midfielders: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona), Javier Martínez (Athletic Bilbao), David Silva (Valencia), Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona)
Forwards: Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Juanma Mata (Valencia), Pedro Rodriguez (Barcelona), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), David Villa (Valencia)
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