Marc Cucurella was booed every time he touched the ball on Sunday afternoon during Schalke 04 v Real Madrid (0-3). The German fans have clearly not forgotten the quarter-final of the European Championship in 2024.
Cucurella completed a €60 million move from Chelsea to Real Madrid earlier this summer. On Sunday, though, he finally made his debut.
The left-back had still been on holiday in recent weeks because he was involved in the global tournament right through to the World Cup final on 19 July.
He went on to win the World Cup with Spain and made an important contribution with two assists during the tournament. Cucurella had already played a major role in 2024 too, when the southern European country won the European Championship.
Against Germany, Cucurella came under particular scrutiny. In the closing stages of that semi-final, with the score at 1-1, Jamal Musiala struck the ball against the defender's arm.
Germany were not given a penalty, and Spain won in extra time. UEFA later admitted Germany should have had a spot-kick.
Those in Gelsenkirchen had clearly not forgotten the incident. The left-back came on after 61 minutes and was booed on every touch.
Even so, Cucurella was satisfied with his debut for Real Madrid. “I’m hugely happy. It is nice to see that all the hard work of recent years has finally been rewarded.”