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Marc Cucurella

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Cucurelia and the second or maternal family name is Saseta.

Marc Cucurella
Cucurella playing for Getafe in 2019
Personal information
Full name Marc Cucurella Saseta[1]
Date of birth (1998-07-22) 22 July 1998 (age 26)[2]
Place of birth Alella, Spain
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[3]
Position(s) Left-back, left wing-back
Team information
Current team
 Chelsea
Number 3
Youth career
2006–2012 Espanyol
2012–2016 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2018 Barcelona B 48 (1)
2017–2019 Barcelona 0 (0)
2018–2019 → Eibar (loan) 31 (1)
2019–2020 → Getafe (loan) 37 (1)
2020–2021 Getafe 38 (3)
2021–2022 Brighton & Hove Albion 35 (1)
2022– Chelsea 45 (0)
International career‡
2014 Spain U16 3 (0)
2014–2015 Spain U17 16 (2)
2016–2017 Spain U19 6 (0)
2016 Spain U20 6 (0)
2019–2021 Spain U21 11 (1)
2021 Spain U23 6 (0)
2019 Catalonia 1 (0)
2021– Spain 7 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Spain
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:51, 19 May 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:45, 30 June 2024 (UTC)

Marc Cucurella Saseta (born 22 July 1998) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left-back or left wing-back for Premier League club Chelsea and the Spain national team.

Cucurella made his senior club debut at Barcelona, but spent most of his time there in the reserve team. He went on to play over 100 La Liga games for Eibar and Getafe, before joining Brighton & Hove Albion in 2021. He spent a season with Brighton before joining Chelsea in 2022.

Cucurella was capped for Spain over every youth level from under-16 to under-23, winning the silver medal with the latter at the 2020 Olympic tournament. He made his debut for the senior team in 2021, representing the side at UEFA Euro 2024.

Club career

Barcelona and Eibar

Cucurella was born in Alella, Barcelona, Catalonia.[4] He started playing futsal with FS Alella before joining Espanyol's youth teams in 2006,[5] and in 2012, he moved to Barcelona.[6] On 26 November 2016, while still a junior, he made his senior debut with the reserves by starting in a 4–0 home win over L'Hospitalet in the Segunda División B.[7]

Cucurella contributed with 17 appearances for the side, achieving promotion to the Segunda División via the play-offs.[citation needed] On 7 July 2017, he renewed his contract until 2021, with a €12 million clause.[8] He made his professional debut on 1 September, starting in a 2–2 away draw against Granada.[9] He made his first-team debut on 24 October, coming on as a late substitute for Lucas Digne in a 3–0 Copa del Rey away win against Real Murcia.[10] He scored his first senior goal for Barcelona B on 17 March 2018, equalising in a draw away to Lorca.[11]

On 31 August 2018, Cucurella was loaned to fellow La Liga club SD Eibar, for one year with a €2 million buyout clause.[12] He made his top-flight debut on 25 September in a 1–0 loss away to Espanyol. Appearing as one of eight changes by manager José Luis Mendilibar, he was praised by Marca journalist Ander Barroso despite the result.[13] He scored his first La Liga goal on the final day of the season on 9 May 2019, opening the scoring in 2–2 draw at home to his parent club.[14]

Getafe

At the end of his loan, Eibar exercised Cucurella's clause, making him a permanent player for the Basque team; along with the transfer, Barcelona added a €4 million buyback option.[15] On 16 July 2019, after just sixteen days as a permanent Eibar player, this clause was activated,[16] only for him to be loaned to Getafe two days later for the upcoming season, with an option to buy for €6 million and 40% of the rights remaining to Barcelona.[17]

Cucurella made his European debut on 19 September 2019 as a substitute for Kenedy in a 1–0 home win over Trabzonspor in the UEFA Europa League group stage.[18] He played eight games of that campaign, which ended 11 months later with a 2–0 loss on aggregatre to Inter Milan in the last 16.[19]

On 3 March 2020, Getafe triggered his option to buy for €6 million, no longer connecting him to Barcelona.[20] The club fully exercised his option to buy on 30 June.[21]

Brighton & Hove Albion

On 31 August 2021, Cucurella joined Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion on a five-year contract.[22] He made his debut for Brighton on 11 September, starting and playing 82 minutes before being substituted in the 1–0 away win over Brentford.[23] Eight days later, he made his home debut, playing the whole of the 2–1 victory over Leicester City.[24] His chipped cross set up Danny Welbeck's headed equaliser in added time, finishing 1–1 away to Chelsea on 29 December.[25] On 7 May 2022, he scored his first goal for the club; he netted the second of a 4–0 win over Manchester United by shooting from Leandro Trossard's pull back.[26] Three days later, at the club's end of season awards, Cucurella won Players' Player of the Season as well as being voted Player of the Season.[27]

Chelsea

On 5 August 2022, Cucurella signed for Premier League club Chelsea on a six-year contract.[28] The fee was reported to be worth an initial £55 million, potentially rising to £62 million in add-ons,[29] which was a record fee received by Brighton.[30] On 6 August, he made his debut as a substitute in a 1–0 away win against Everton in the Premier League.[31] On 7 March 2023, he was named Player of the Match in the Champions League round-of-16 second leg match against Borussia Dortmund, which ended in a 2–0 win and qualification to the quarter-final.[32] On 17 March 2024, he scored his first goal for the club by netting the opener in a 4–2 victory over Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals.[33]

International career

Catalonia

On 25 March 2019, Cucurella debuted as a substitute for the non-FIFA Catalonia team in a 2–1 win over Venezuela in Girona. He was one of several new faces due to some clubs not releasing their players for the game.[34]

Spain

After representing Spain at under-16, under-17 and under-19 level, Cucurella was called up to the Spain under-21 team in September 2019, playing 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against Kazakhstan and Montenegro.[35] He captained Spain to the semi-final stage of the 2021 European U21 championship, where they were beaten by Portugal.[36]

Cucurella was also part of the Spain under-23 team that won the silver medal at the 2020 Olympic Games, that took place in 2021 due to the previous year's postponement as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[37][38]

In November 2020, manager Luis Enrique called up Cucurella to the senior Spain squad for UEFA Nations League games against Switzerland and Germany, as José Gayà was injured.[39] He was an unused substitute for the fixtures.[40]

Due to the isolation of some national team players following the positive COVID-19 test of Sergio Busquets, Spain's under-21 squad were called up for the international friendly against Lithuania on 8 June 2021.[41] Cucurella made his debut, acting as captain, in this match that Spain won 4–0.[42]

On 26 March 2024, Cucurella won his second cap for the Spain senior team, playing the full 90 minutes at left back in a 3–3 draw with Brazil at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.[43]

In June 2024, Cucurella was named in Spain's squad for UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany.[44] He made his competitive debut in the team's opening match of the tournament, starting at left back as La Roja beat Croatia 3–0 at Berlin's Olympiastadion.[45]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 19 May 2024[46]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Barcelona B 2016–17 Segunda División B 11 0 — — — 6[c] 0 17 0
2017–18 Segunda División 37 1 — — — — 37 1
Total 48 1 — — — 6 0 54 1
Barcelona 2017–18 La Liga 0 0 1 0 — 0 0 — 1 0
Eibar (loan) 2018–19 La Liga 31 1 2 1 — — — 33 2
Getafe (loan) 2019–20 La Liga 37 1 1 0 — 7[d] 0 — 45 1
Getafe 2020–21 La Liga 37 3 2 0 — — — 39 3
2021–22 La Liga 1 0 0 0 — — — 1 0
Total 75 4 3 0 — 7 0 — 85 4
Brighton & Hove Albion 2021–22 Premier League 35 1 2 0 1 0 — — 38 1
Chelsea 2022–23 Premier League 24 0 0 0 1 0 8[e] 0 — 33 0
2023–24 Premier League 21 0 2 1 3 0 — — 26 1
Total 45 0 2 1 4 0 8 0 — 59 1
Career total 234 7 10 2 5 0 15 0 6 0 270 9
  1. ^ Includes Copa del Rey, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in Segunda División B play-offs
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 30 June 2024[47]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain 2021 1 0
2024 6 0
Total 7 0

Honours

Barcelona

Spain U23

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Acta del Partido celebrado el 12 de mayo de 2018, en Gijón" [Minutes of the Match held on 12 May 2018, in Gijón] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Squad List: Men's Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020: Spain (ESP)" (PDF). FIFA. 22 July 2021. p. 16. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Marc Cucurella". Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Cucurella: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Marc Cucurella Saseta" (in Catalan). Futbol Base Català. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Marc Cucurella, el Puyol de la cantera" [Marc Cucurella, the Puyol from the youth setup]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 14 December 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  7. ^ "4–0: el Barça B golea al Hospitalet y sigue líder" [4–0: Barça B thrash Hospitalet and remain leader]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 26 November 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Marc Cucurella signs new Barcelona deal with €12 million clause". ESPN FC. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  9. ^ Galicia, Samuel (1 September 2017). "Tercer empate de un Granada que no termina de arrancar" [Third draw for a Granada that can't get going]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Barcelona B teamer Jose Arnaiz thrilled with goal in 'dream' first-team debut". ESPN FC. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  11. ^ Martínez, Alfonso (17 March 2018). "Cucurella priva a Fabri de su primera alegría y salva al filial" [Cucurella deprives Fabri of his first joy and saves the reserves]. Marca (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  12. ^ "Acord amb la SD Eibar per a la cessió de Cucurella" [Agrement with SD Eibar for the loan of Cucurella] (in Catalan). FC Barcelona. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  13. ^ Barroso, Ander (27 September 2018). "Cucurella emerge con fuerza" [Cucurella emerges strongly]. Marca (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  14. ^ "Title-winners Barcelona held to a draw in final league game at Eibar". Jersey Evening Post. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  15. ^ "El Eibar ejerce la claúsula de compra de Marc Cucurella" [Eibar triggers Marc Cucurella's buyout clause]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 27 May 2019.
  16. ^ "Barcelona Buy Back Cucurella From Eibar". beIN Sports. 16 July 2019.
  17. ^ "Agreement with Getafe for the loan of Marc Cucurella". FC Barcelona. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  18. ^ "La 'fórmula Bordalás' también funciona en Europa" [The 'Bordalás formula' also works in Europe]. Marca (in Spanish). Madrid. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  19. ^ Leveridge, Sam (5 August 2020). "Another cruel goodbye for EuroGeta". Marca. Madrid. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  20. ^ Getafe exercise option to purchase Cucurella for six million euros Marca (newspaper). 3 March 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020
  21. ^ "Getafe exercise option to purchase Marc Cucurella". FC Barcelona. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Marc Cucurella joins from Getafe". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Brentford 0–1 Brighton: Leandro Trossard scores last-minute winner for Seagulls". BBC Sport. 11 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  24. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion 2–1 Leicester City: Seagulls hold off late pressure to go third". BBC Sport. 19 September 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  25. ^ "Chelsea 1–1 Brighton & Hove Albion: Danny Welbeck heads stoppage-time equaliser for Seagulls". BBC Sport. 29 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  26. ^ "Brighton 4–0 Manchester United: Big defeat ends United's Champions League hopes". BBC Sport. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  27. ^ a b c "Cucurella thanks teammates and fans for awards". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  28. ^ "Cucurella becomes a Blue". Chelsea F.C. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  29. ^ "Chelsea confirm Marc Cucurella signing from Brighton in £62m deal". The Guardian. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  30. ^ "Marc Cucurella makes record move to Chelsea". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  31. ^ "Chelsea opened the Premier League season with victory over Everton as Jorginho's penalty decided a scrappy contest at Goodison Park". BBC Sport. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  32. ^ "Player of the Match: Marc Cucurella highlights". UEFA. 7 March 2023.
  33. ^ "(Video): Marc Cucurella first Chelsea goal as Blues take advantage of Leicester mistake". OneFootball. 17 March 2024.
  34. ^ Rogé, Albert (25 March 2019). "Catalonia 2–1 Venezuela: Bojan and Puado help Gerard Lopez's side triumph at Montilivi". Sport. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  35. ^ "Riqui Puig is on the verge of making his debut for Spain's U21 side". Marca. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  36. ^ "Spain 0-1 Portugal". UEFA. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  37. ^ a b "Brazil beat Spain in extra-time for back-to-back men's football gold". International Olympic Committee. 7 August 2021. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  38. ^ "Olympics: Tokyo 2020 chief does not rule out cancelling Games". BBC News. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  39. ^ Moñino, Ladislao J. (12 November 2020). "Luis Enrique llama a Cucurella en sustitución de Gayà" [Luis Enrique calls up Cucurella in place of Gayà]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  40. ^ "Switzerland 1–1 Spain". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  41. ^ "Oficial | Lista de convocados para el encuentro ante Lituania" [Official | Squad list for the match against Lithuania] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  42. ^ "Spain youngsters impress in Lithuania rout". Marca. Madrid. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  43. ^ "Spain - Brazil". Eurosport. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  44. ^ "OFFICIAL | Final Spain squad for the Euro 2024 finals". Royal Spanish Football Federation. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  45. ^ "Spain 3-0 Croatia LIVE: UEFA Euro 2024 - score, updates & reaction". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  46. ^ "Cucurella". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  47. ^ "Marc Cucurella". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  48. ^ Bell, Arch (8 February 2018). "Unstoppable Barca on way to final". Marca. Madrid. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  49. ^ "Team of the Tournament". uefa.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
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