The Spain international’s reasoning could be taken as a subtle dig at his former employers, Chelsea, as Marc Cucurella spoke for the first time since completing his move to Real Madrid
Marc Cucurella’s latest comments are unlikely to go down well with Chelsea supporters after admitting he had dreamt of playing for a ‘big team’ like Real Madrid upon completing his move earlier this week. The defender swapped west London for Madrid in a £51.8million deal, bringing his four‑year spell at Chelsea to an end.
football.london understands Cucurella informed the club of his desire to return to Spain for personal and family reasons. Now tied to a six‑year contract with Madrid, he has spoken publicly about the move for the first time in an interview with El Mundo.
He acknowledged having other offers on the table but suggested Madrid’s interest ultimately outweighed the rest.
“Every footballer dreams of competing at the elite level and for big clubs,” he said. “When you’re a kid you dream of playing for great teams and I think Real Madrid is one of them.
“It’s the team with the most Champions League titles in the world. There were different options, but when Madrid’s came, I didn’t hesitate.
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“I think it’s a unique opportunity. Playing for Real Madrid is an honour, and not many players can say that.”
Cucurella continued: “The club has mystique. I don’t know how to describe it.
“It’s unpredictable. I think that’s been seen many times in their historic comebacks.”
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Cucurella’s remarks could be interpreted as a subtle dig to Chelsea, who are a viewed across the globe as a big club, albeit not as successful as Madrid.
Still at the World Cup with Spain, the 27‑year‑old is set to return to his homeland after coming through Barcelona but ultimately failing to break into the senior team, making just a single Copa del Rey appearance in the 2017/18 season.
Cucurella was one of Jose Mourinho’s first signings at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries and Bernardo Silva also making the move to the Spanish capital ahead of next season.
He will look to play a key role for Los Blancos, bringing a wealth of Premier League experience with him to La Liga. During his time at Chelsea, Cucurella won the FIFA Club World Cup and the Conference League.
