Chelsea secured a 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Marc Cucurella starred at Stamford Bridge and was successful in stopping Barcelona star Lamine Yamal from doing any damage.
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez even said Yamal was in Cucurella’s pocket.
Thursday’s Mundo Deportivo states the left-back was outstanding and won the battle against Yamal. They claim his performance showed that Barca ‘failed to appreciate his potential’.
The 27-year-old had a spell with the Catalan club, joining their academy in 2012. He made one appearance for their senior team. Ernest Valverde was in charge at the Camp Nou when the Spain international was promoted to the first team.
He looked at the academy to find Jordi Alba’s backup. The manager had the Chelsea star and Juan Miranda as two options and decided to bet on the latter. Cucurella went out on loan to Eibar, who then made his stay permanent.
Barcelona brought him back by exercising the buyback clause in 2019. However, Valverde wasn’t convinced of the fullback’s qualities and ended up signing Junior Firpo. This saw Cucurella move to Getafe on loan before joining them permanently a year later.
Chelsea player compared to Carles Puyol
Mundo states: ‘[Cucurella’s] evolution is reminiscent of the path of Carles Puyol, a role model for him, not only because of the aesthetic of long hair, but also because of his competitive character: intensity, fight, grit and the conviction to never give up.’
Barca currently have Alejandro Balde as the first choice left-back and continue to look for a tough competitor for him. This indicates they are disappointed to have not trusted the Chelsea star.
Thursday’s edition of Sport claims Valverde never showed faith in the Blues fullback. Getafe sold him to Brighton & Hove Albion in 2021. A year later, he was joined Chelsea.
Cucurella had a difficult start at Stamford Bridge. Since overcoming this, the Spaniard has cemented his place at Chelsea.
‘He’s stubborn. He kept working and once again demonstrated that competitive spirit he has. In his first season, he had three managers, and curiously, he started playing at right-back under Pochettino. But it was Maresca who took him to the next level at the elite level,’ a source close to him told Sport.
The newspaper adds Barcelona ‘lacked patience with a full-back who, like Puyol, has the character of those special players who make a group of footballers into a team.’
To sum it up, Mundo and Sport’s reports indicate there’s huge disappointment at Barca for letting Cucurella escape. The two newspapers have pinned the blame on Valverde.