Spain were defeated in the Nations League final by Portugal on penalties, meaning Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella had lost out in a major final.
The left-back played both games for his country in this international break, with his performance overshadowed by the brilliance of Chelsea target Nico Williams in the semi-final.
While Cucurella starred in Chelsea’s Conference League final, he was unable to have the same effect in Germany for the Nations League final, with club teammate Pedro Neto lifting the trophy.
The defender will have been hoping for a positive spell away with his country in order to get prepared for the Club World Cup. The Blues will get their campaign in the United States underway next week.
However, the extremely high standards Cucurella has set for himself were not met, and Spanish media were not left impressed with what they saw.
Eldesmarque handed the defender a 4/10 for his performance, stating that they had not seen enough from him in attack to influence the game.
They said: “Just like against France, he didn’t show up in attack and had a tough time defending. Cristiano Ronaldo beat him to the post to make it 2-2 in a very easy way, even more so considering he’s 40 years old.”
There was a more positive review from Sport, who actually believe he backed up Williams well on the left-wing.
They said: “7/10. He had to get used to playing with the sound of wind [whistling] every time he touched the ball. He was good in attack, providing space and solutions for Nico on the wing, and somewhat soft in Cristiano’s 2-2. He was instrumental in several interceptions.”
Cucurella starring under Enzo Maresca’s tactics
The 2024/25 season was a breakout one for Cucurella in terms of his contributions in the attacking third. Before this campaign, he had scored just one goal for the Blues.
He notched up seven under Enzo Maresca, sitting as one of their top scorers since January while the likes of Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson struggled in front of goal.
The Italian has integrated the Spaniard into his attacking plans, occasionally using Reece James as a part of his back three in an attempt to protect his fitness.
Cucurella is set to play a key role in the Club World Cup effort, with him proving that he is one of the most important players in the ever-improving squad right now.
