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Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella’s slips and online picture of his boots in the bin are a…

Puma had launched the boots in time for the lucrative Christmas market and their big-money ambassador Cucurella wore them in the game after previously trying them out in training.

But the Euro 2024 winner suffered a disastrous start to the game, slipping over twice and on both occasions Tottenham scored to go 2-0 up.

Following the second slip, an furious Cucurella went to the touchline, discarded the boots and changed into a different pair of Pumas.

Chelsea staged a comeback to win the game 4-3. However, despite that and not thinking of the possible implications, Cucurella posted a photo on his Instagram story of the new Puma footwear in the bin alongside the message 'Sorry Blues', even though he is a brand ambassador for the company.

He has since deleted the photo, but it was seen all across social media platforms before being taken down and will undoubtedly impact on the public image of the Puma boots, with the company under pressure already after poor sales.

Chelsea's Marc Cucurella during the Premier League match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London. Photo credit: John Walton/PA Wire.

Chelsea's Marc Cucurella during the Premier League match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London. Photo credit: John Walton/PA Wire.

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Puma CEO Arne Freundt delivered a positive update in November, insisting there had been encouraging demand heading into the final part "of 2024.

"Talking to the retailers in Europe and the US, I think we are quite confident about the demand going into the important shopping season," he said.

That enthusiasm will have been hit thanks to Cucurella's struggles in front of a global audience of millions will not have helped Puma's cause.

The boots were advertised as specialising in three features - adaptability, movement and control.

But Cucurella did not display those features in a torrid opening to Sunday's match.

His first error came after five minutes when his slip handed the ball to Brennan Johnson who raced past him before squaring the ball for Dominic Solanke to tap home.

Six minutes later, Cucurella hit the deck again and waved his arm in frustration as the loose ball was picked up by Dejan Kulusevski.

The Swedish midfielder then cut inside and picked out the bottom corner, with Cucurella immediately making his way to the touchline to switch footwear.

Sky Sports co-commentator Jamie Carragher slammed Cucurella for wearing the boots in the first place as he questioned why he had not spotted the issue in the warm-up.

"Cucurella's coming to the bench, don't blame anyone else - it's your own fault, son!" Carragher said. "Absolute schoolboy stuff. Embarrassing."

The boots switch did the trick for the Spaniard. The full-back went on to play the pass for Jadon Sancho's goal to get Chelsea back into the game.

The Blues then ramped up the pressure after the break and turned the match in their favour thanks to a pair of Cole Palmer penalties either side of a fine Enzo Fernandez strike.

Son Heung-min hit a late goal for Spurs, but it wasn't enough as Cucurella and Co held on to go second in the Premier League.

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