{"id":17581,"date":"2026-07-15T11:52:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T11:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=17581"},"modified":"2026-07-15T11:52:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T11:52:26","slug":"spanish-newspaper-perfectly-sums-up-marc-cucurella-after-spain-reach-world-cup-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=17581","title":{"rendered":"Spanish newspaper perfectly sums up Marc Cucurella after Spain reach World Cup final"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"post-377276\">\n<div class=\"article-follow\">\n<div class=\"article-sharing google-follow\">  <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"28\" height=\"28\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thechelseachronicle.com\/wp-content\/themes\/grv-media\/img\/google-discover.svg\" alt=\"\"\/> <span>Add as preferred source on Google<\/span>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Former Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella has reached the World Cup final with Spain following their 2-0 win against France on Tuesday.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It means Cucurella will now play at least one of his ex-Chelsea teammates this Sunday, with England taking on Argentina in the other semi-final.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-grvmedia-grv-video GRVMultiVideo\"\/>\n<p>Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah are the Chelsea stars who are representing England, while Enzo Fernandez will line up for Argentina on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n<p>Rayo Vallecano\u2019s Pep Chavarria could be a suitable replacement for Cucurella if he joins Chelsea this summer, but the Blues could still end up regretting their decision to sell their former full-back to Real Madrid.<\/p>\n<section class=\"grv-talking-point\" data-trigger=\"vue-sidebar\" data-story-id=\"a7ff3fe3-a05c-423f-9e8c-99ae14865441\" data-story-name=\"Chelsea Transfers\" data-comment-id=\"dc5d4930-a6dd-43f8-81b1-0f1612f7fcc5\" data-story-slug=\"chelsea-transfers\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__inner\">\n<header class=\"grv-talking-point__header\">  <\/header>\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__content\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__cta\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__title-wrap\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__title-content\">\n<h3 class=\"grv-talking-point__title\">Do you want to see Pep Chavarria, Marco Palestra or Jorrel Hato at left-back next season?<\/h3>\n<p class=\"grv-talking-point__subtitle\">Chavarria didn&#8217;t do a bad job in the Conference League final against Crystal Palace<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__embed\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 991px) 100vw, 800px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/06\/Pep-Chavarria-819x1024.png\" alt=\"Pep Chavarria's stats vs Crystal Palace\" class=\"wp-image-375236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/06\/Pep-Chavarria-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/06\/Pep-Chavarria-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/06\/Pep-Chavarria-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/06\/Pep-Chavarria-912x1140.png 912w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/06\/Pep-Chavarria-600x750.png 600w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/06\/Pep-Chavarria.png 1080w\"\/><\/div><figcaption title=\"LEIPZIG, GERMANY - MAY 27: Pep Chavarria of Rayo Vallecano runs with the ball during the UEFA Conference League Final 2026 match between Crystal Palace FC and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at Football Arena Leipzig on May 27, 2026 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by Kevin Voigt\/GettyImages)\">Photo by Kevin Voigt\/GettyImages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-former-chelsea-defender-marc-cucurella-described-as-a-beast-after-spain-s-2-0-win-against-france\">Former Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella described as a \u2018beast\u2019 after Spain\u2019s 2-0 win against France<\/h2>\n<p>Cucurella is one of the best left-backs in the world and has just proven that on the biggest stage. One Spanish newspaper, AS, was so impressed with his performance that they described him as a \u201cbeast\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>In a match review, they wrote: \u201cHe had a double whammy to mark: \u201c(Michael) Olise and (Ousmane) Dembele. They constantly swapped positions. And he contained them as best he could. He was very firm in his duels, as always. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOffensively, he wasn\u2019t overly connected with (Alex) Baena, but he kept pushing forward and making himself available. It was from one of his crosses that the penalty on Lamine (Yamal) came. Although a yellow card for excessive force in the first half hampered him, he battled hard. A rock, a beast.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The words \u201crock\u201d and \u201cbeast\u201d perfectly sum up Cucurella. One-v-one, the 27-year-old is extremely solid, while there is not a winger in world football who fazes him.<\/p>\n<p>In the France game, Cucurella had the task of defending against Olise and Dembele, as AS mentioned, and he managed to come out on top.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-getty-images-media\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 991px) 100vw, 800px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285549205-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Marc Cucurella of Spain and Michael Olise of France\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285549205-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285549205-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285549205-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285549205-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285549205-1140x760.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285549205-750x500.jpg 750w\"\/><\/div><figcaption title=\"Marc Cucurella of Spain and Michael Olise of France during the 2026 World Cup match between France and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 14, 2026, in Dallas, United States. (Photo by Stefan Koops\/EYE4IMAGES\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)\">Photo by Stefan Koops\/EYE4IMAGES\/NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Olise and Dembele are two of the best attackers in world football, but Cucurella managed to limit their threat.<\/p>\n<p>There are similarities between Cucurella and Chavarria, so again, the Rayo man could be a good signing for Chelsea. The Blues also have Jorrel Hato, who impressed in the second half of last season.<\/p>\n<p>However, is either player a better defender than Cucurella? Perhaps Hato has the potential to surpass the Spain international one day, but as of now, the answer is no.<\/p>\n<p>Chelsea received good money for Cucurella considering his age and contract situation, but they will be unable to sign an upgrade with it. There is not currently one on the market.<\/p>\n<div class=\"see-more-wrapper lazy see-more-open see-more-blank extra-content\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.thechelseachronicle.com\/news\/spanish-newspaper-perfectly-sums-up-marc-cucurella-after-spain-reach-world-cup-final\/none\" data-type=\"subscribe\">\n<div class=\"see-more subscribe\">\n<figure class=\"newsletter\">\n<div><svg class=\"loading\" width=\"118\" height=\"36\" viewbox=\"0 0 118 36\"><use href=\"#dots-svg\"\/><\/svg><\/p>\n<div class=\"signup\"><span class=\"hf\">Join Our Newsletter<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><script>grvLoadAnalytics = () => {(function(d,s,i){var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)(0),j=d.createElement(s);j.async=true;j.src=\"https:\/\/www.googletagmanager.com\/gtag\/js?id=\"+i;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(document,'script','G-E7VRWQHDP6');(function(d,s,i){if(!\/callback=in\/.test(window.location.search)){var e=d.createElement(s);var n=d.getElementsByTagName(s)(0);e.type=\"text\/javascript\";e.async=true;e.src=\"https:\/\/static.chartbeat.com\/js\/chartbeat.js\";n.parentNode.insertBefore(e,n);}})(document,\"script\",\"G-E7VRWQHDP6\");(function(){let s=document.createElement(\"script\");s.async=true;s.dataset.domain=\"thechelseachronicle.com\/MFj4XQ\";s.src=\"https:\/\/api.publytics.net\/js\/script.manual.ping.min.js\";document.getElementsByTagName(\"head\")(0).appendChild(s);})();if(!\/callback=in\/.test(window.location.search)){setTimeout(function(){!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');fbq('init','663509325503632');fbq('track','PageView');fbq('track','ViewContent',{content_name:'Spanish newspaper perfectly sums up Marc Cucurella after Spain reach World Cup final',content_category:'News',content_ids:(377276,\"marc-cucurella\",\"world-cup\"),content_type:'post',});},3000);}}<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Add as preferred source on Google Former Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella has reached the World&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}