Chelsea full-back Marc Cucurella has been forced to delete a social media post apologising to fans after his two mistakes leading to goals during Enzo Maresca's side's 4-3 win over Tottenham on Sunday. The Spaniard was caught in possession twice in the early stages of the contest after slipping on the wet surface, which allowed Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.
Cucurella was then seen changing his boots on the pitch before posting an image on Instagram of him throwing his original pair in the bin with the caption "Sorry Blues." However, the European Championship winner has now taken down the post after the impact it has had on his boot manufacturer, Puma.
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Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella during a pre-match warm-up
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Cucurella was made to delete his post due to the risk of it causing a PR nightmare for the already under pressure German manufacturers. The boots that the Spanish international wore against Tottenham were pairs of the next-gen Future 8s, which had just gone on sale to the general public in the lead-up to the holiday season.
However, Cucurella's mistakes, coupled with his Instagram post at full-time, have only hurt Puma's reputation and run the risk of fewer people being inclined to purchase the new design. This comes at a bad time for the sportswear brand, which is said to be feeling under pressure following a disappointing financial third quarter.
Speaking on the brand's recent troubles, Puma CEO Arne Freundt shared an optimistic message:
"Talking to the retailers both in Europe and the U.S., I think we are quite confident about the demand going into the important shopping season," Freundt claimed.
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The Future 8s were marketed as being a specialist product in three different areas: adaptability, movement, and control. However, Cucurella's early display seemed to completely disprove that notion, leaving Puma with egg on their face.