After the end of the first two rounds of matches at the European Championships, Marc Cucurella is the name of everyone’s lips. The Catalan has made a name for himself playing at left-back for the national team with two outstanding performances, very much in line with the rest of the team. After his excellent performance against Croatia, he came up with the goods once again against Italy, producing some impeccable numbers along the way. Here he talks over his performance data.
"51 out of 51 passes completed, ten duels won, seven recoveries, five clearances and not dribbled past once - not bad, eh?" he jokes, as he is shown the statistics from the match in Gelsenkirchen that secured the national team's place in the Last 16. "Pretty good. The most important thing is that I didn't touch the ball much, so I didn't miss much," he says with his infectious sense of humour, his contribution to the group's dynamic also fundamental, with a captivating personality.
Cucurella is loving his time in Germany, where he is wearing an ear to ear smile and is aware of the need to make the most of his good form after some previous disappointments. "I'm happy, we played a great game and it's the result of a lot of hard work. I've had a tough year, I had a serious injury, but in the end I've worked hard and this opportunity has arrived. I've enjoyed it a lot and I've been very proud. Playing this match and enjoying it... I think this match will mark a before and after moment for me".
Behind the column inches and the praise there is a lot of work that goes unseen, nothing is free in the world of football. "Nobody has given me anything for free, I'm here because of my work, because of my own merits", the full-back insists. "It hasn't been an easy road, I've had to sweat and work hard and everything I've achieved has been through hard work and merit".
His appearance, with his characteristic curly hair, allows jokes and memes to be made. He laughs and is the first to enjoy these things, teasing when shown a picture of Roberto Carlos with his face and hair blowing in the wind. He chuckles while comparing the two, "we look alike in everything except our hair,... I'm happy, in the end all these memes are funny. It's a moment to disconnect and to be compared to Roberto Carlos and to do this parody, I like it and it makes me laugh"