Cucurella-inspired Spain strike the right chords
(AP)The hair, Marc Cucurella says, is sacred. But he promises he will go bald if Spain lifts the World Cup. But when the moment arrives, the larrikin in him could deny, “Did I say that really?” He had made the promise before. A Barcelona product, as recently as April, he claimed he would rather chop the locks he had been nourishing for over a decade than join Real Madrid. Come May, he signed a 60-million pound contract to join the Spanish powerhouse. “Hair is not essential to my personality, it is my personality,” he told Spanish outlet Marca. The springy curls, girdled by a hairband that is about to burst, is part of what has made him a cult figure in Spain and England, where he played for five years. The full-back, who assisted two goals and saw a goal he scored chalked off in Spain’s dismembering of Austria, is the European champions’ wind-up merchant. The provocateur, his friends call him. When his goal was ruled out, he rushed to the referee, and commanded rather than implored him to check the VAR. Replays only justified the referee’s verdict, even though Pau Cubarsi infringement on Austria’s goalkeeper Xaver Schlager was soft. But he sought a detailed explanation from the referee, voiced his displeasure, and walked away shaking his head.Six minutes later, after Mikel Oyarzabal scored from Cucurella’s low cross and put Spain in front, he pounced in front of the referee and asked him, sarcastically, if the goal stood. The referee pointed to his pocket, suggesting he would not risk flashing a yellow card. Cucurella turned away and joined his teammates in celebration. He is an antithesis to the modern La Masia-raised footballer, the elegant, soft-spoken stylist, economical with his words and moves. He is the old-school hard tackling rogue. His manager at Eibar once summed him up precisely. “He’s not quick, he’s not strong. All those things we measure with all those machines we have, he doesn’t register on any of them; you would never sign him,” he said. “But he’s a footballer.” AS IT HAPPENED | SPAIN VS AUSTRIA WORLD CUP 2026 HIGHLIGHTS But he has become an integral part of Luis de la Fuente’s (who was a left-back with curled halo like Cucurella in his playing days) wondrously eclectic, mould-breaking side brimming with lively characters. Since the tiki taka era, the stereotype of La Rojas as a tessellation of fine-tuned technicians have clung on, as a burden first and as a convenient shield later. His orchestra is not a harmony of similar notes, but a medley of diverse tunes, but each combining perfectly to produce tuneful music.
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