On Monday, Real Madrid confirmed Marc Cucurella as their third summer signing, after Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries. The 27-year-old left-back will join from Chelsea later in the summer, but first, his focus will be on helping Spain achieve glory at the 2026 World Cup.
Cucurella will be a starter for La Roja during the tournament, for which they start as one of the favourites. He was imperious during his last major tournament outing at Euro 2024, and Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente will hope he is in similar form in North America.
As per Diario AS, de la Fuente was asked about Cucurella’s move to Real Madrid during his pre-match press conference prior to Monday’s World Cup opener against Cape Verde. He has full confidence that the situation with Real Madrid will not distract him ahead of the upcoming fixture at the Atlanta Stadium.
“Not at all. I know the players well, I know the commitment they have. We already experienced it in the European Championship and we experienced it from a very natural nature. No one would do anything that could harm him. And if it is good news for Cucurella, we celebrate it. Because it is good for him and for the collective.”
De la Fuente lauds “safe bet” Cucurella
Image via Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images
On Cucurella as a player, de la Fuente was very complimentary. He fully believes the new Real Madrid defender to be one of the best left-backs in world football, and he hopes it will be shown during the World Cup.
“For the National Team, he is a safe bet. He has been with me since he was 17 years old and I know his ability to manage stress on the pitch. he’s always there and he’s a safe bet. For the National Team, he could be one of the best in the world in his position.”
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