Real Madrid’s presentation carousel continued as Marc Cucurella became the latest signing to be officially welcomed on Monday.
As has become customary this summer, the club held a private ceremony in the boardroom at Ciudad Real Madrid, attended by the player, club president Florentino Perez and honorary president Jose Martinez Pirri.
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The former Chelsea defender formally signed his contract which will keep him at Real Madrid until June 2032 before being presented with a replica of the Santiago Bernabeu and posing for pictures with the president and the honorary president.
Marc Cucurella presented as a Real Madrid player. (Photo courtesy: Real Madrid official website)
Cucurella elated
Speaking to Real Madrid TV after the private ceremony, Cucurella could not hide his joy at becoming a Real Madrid player this summer.
“It’s a great source of pride. It’s a very special day. The summer has felt long, but it’s an honour to wear this shirt, the shirt of the best club in the world. Hopefully it will be a great chapter and we can win many trophies,” he said.
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Cucurella also spoke about his ambitions at the club, highlighting the UEFA Champions League as a trophy he is especially intent on winning.
“Hopefully I’ll be lucky enough to have some great seasons and win a Champions League,” he noted.
On the prospect of playing at the Santiago Bernabeu, the left-back added: I’m really looking forward to playing at the Bernabeu. I know how imposing it is and the influence it has during comebacks. This is going to be one of the most beautiful chapters of my career.”
Here to become a starter
Five years after leaving Getafe for England, Cucurella has returned to Spain to play for Real Madrid.
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A former Barcelona academy talent, he spent time at Eibar and Getafe before moving to the Premier League, where he played for Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea.
Dreaming of UCL success with Los Blancos. (Photo courtesy: Real Madrid official website)
Cucurella returns to his homeland after winning the World Cup with Spain, where he was one of the standout performers for La Roja.
Real Madrid subsequently paid €55 million for the defender on June 15, shortly before Spain began their successful World Cup campaign.
Cucurella has only been working under Jose Mourinho for around two weeks since returning from the World Cup.
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But he has already made his first two appearances for Real Madrid: one in the friendly against Schalke and his competitive debut in Saturday’s La Liga opener against Espanyol.
The final step now is earning a starting place. Once he is fully up to speed physically, he is expected to become a regular in Mourinho’s XI ahead of Alvaro Carreras.
That could happen as soon as Wednesday against Real Sociedad or Sunday against Malaga.
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