The Marc Cucurella Real Madrid transfer sent shockwaves through the Spain World Cup camp — and Barcelona midfielder Gavi has confirmed the squad had absolutely no idea it was coming. The 27-year-old left-back, a product of the Barça academy, completed a move from Chelsea to the Bernabéu this week in a deal worth an initial €55 million. Nobody saw it coming. Not even his own international teammates.
Marc Cucurella Real Madrid Bombshell Drops in Training
Gavi, speaking to RAC1, gave a wonderfully candid account of how the news broke. “We only found out in training the day before, well, just after the session,” he said. “No one knew. He had kept it quiet, the bastard. We didn’t expect it.” Classic dressing room chaos. According to ESPN, Barcelona had actually explored a potential move for Cucurella back in April but ultimately let their interest drop due to other priorities. Atlético Madrid were also circling, yet Real Madrid moved swiftly — particularly after confirming José Mourinho as their new head coach last week — to get the deal over the line first.
Of course, the move carries serious extra bite given Cucurella’s deep roots at Camp Nou. He now becomes the only Real Madrid player in Spain’s squad at the North American World Cup, which should make for some spicy training ground banter. Nevertheless, Gavi kept it classy. “Now he has to defend against Lamine [Yamal],” he added. “[Madrid] have changed full-backs a lot in recent years, it’s very hard to stop Lamine — I hope he remains unstoppable. But it will be nice. I like Cucu as an opponent. He’s tenacious, he’s intense… he’s a good signing for Madrid and I am happy for him.”
Cucurella Responds to Barcelona Fan Backlash
Predictably, a section of Barça supporters online have reacted with frustration to their former academy player choosing the Bernabéu. However, Cucurella addressed the criticism head-on at a press conference on Thursday. “You have to respect people’s opinions,” he said. “I’m very grateful for everything the Barcelona academy gave me. But like everything in life, it’s about stages. I thought this was the right decision to take. When a team like Madrid come to you, it’s very hard to turn down. I had no doubt it was the right step.”
Meanwhile, Spain have bigger, more immediate concerns to deal with on the pitch. Luis de la Fuente’s side face Saudi Arabia in Group H on Sunday in Atlanta, and they desperately need a win after being held to a shock goalless draw by Cape Verde in their opener. BBC Sport has full coverage of the World Cup fixtures. With Cucurella now firmly in the Madrid camp for next season, every Clásico just got a whole lot more interesting.