Marc Cucurella
LB
Spain28 years
Showing2026/27 seasonAll official competitions
Preferred Positions
Last 24 months · all competitions
LB
Left-backMain
9,797 min · 122 apps · 105 starts
Squad importance
Current squad importance over the club’s last 40 recorded competitive games in this spell, including previous seasons. Starts and minutes contribute 70%; performance contributes 30%. Absences reduce the score gradually, with less weight when a player is outside the matchday squad.Current role at Real Madrid · independent of the season filter
Important
Involvement73%
Performance43%
Through the match on 4 Nov 2026. Refreshed daily.
Profile
Career & playing style
Marc Cucurella is a Spanish defender from Alella, near Barcelona, whose game combines work on the left flank with an understanding of central spaces. He has played at left-back, wing-back and on the left of a back three, giving his teams different ways to build attacks from defence.
After youth football with Espanyol and Barcelona, Cucurella progressed through Barcelona B before spells at Eibar and Getafe. Reflecting on his La Masia education, he explained that its emphasis on possession had taught him how to use the ball, lessons he continued to draw on in senior football.
His move to Brighton in 2021 brought a different challenge. Cucurella recalled finding the speed and physical demands of his first Premier League appearance difficult, then working on his strength and making decisions more quickly. He finished 2021/22 with both Brighton’s Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season awards before moving to Chelsea in 2022.
At Chelsea under Enzo Maresca, moving infield became an important part of his role. Cucurella described a back four becoming three defenders with an additional player in midfield when the team attacked. His movement offered another central option in possession, helping Chelsea control that area while putting more players into attacking positions.
He also developed a route to goal through positioning. Discussing his scoring in the 2024/25 campaign, Cucurella stressed arriving in the penalty area at the right moment and sometimes finishing with one touch. The mechanism was timing his involvement in attacks, rather than simply staying wide to provide crosses.
Yet a delivery from the left produced his defining contribution to Spain’s EURO 2024 final. On 14 July, he supplied the cross that Mikel Oyarzabal converted for the late winner against England. Spain’s 2–1 victory made Cucurella a European champion, with a direct part in the decisive goal.
He was subsequently part of Chelsea’s Conference League and Club World Cup winning teams in 2025. Real Madrid announced an agreement to sign him from Chelsea on 15 June 2026. Another international milestone followed on 19 July: Cucurella played the entire World Cup final as Spain beat Argentina 1–0 after extra time.