Cururella happy to reap the fruits of her work in silence

MUNICH, Germany: Spain full-back Marc Cucurella has been one of the highlights of Spain’s Euro 2024 campaign and has attributed his performances to his diligent work ethic during a disappointing spell at Chelsea.

Preparing to face fellow contenders France for a place in the final on Tuesday, the 25-year-old defender said on Sunday he was proud to benefit from his two turbulent seasons in west London.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s sooner or later, if people talk about you, it’s good. What’s happening is the fruit of many years of work in silence,” Cucurella said at a news conference on Sunday.

“Nobody gave me anything, so I’m very happy right now. I knew that if I worked hard and gave my best, it could happen. It’s a dream to be here and a lot of people would give everything they have to be where I am.

“There are still a few steps left. If we don’t play the final on Sunday, it will be useless. We have to make an extra effort to get there.”

Cucurella’s impressive Euros performance is a major turning point for a player who struggled after arriving at Stamford Bridge two years ago in a £62 million ($79.41 million) move from Brighton & Hove Albion.

After a mediocre debut campaign and an injury-plagued start to his second season, Cucurella had a solid end to the campaign playing both on the left side and as an inverted full-back.

That led to him being included in Spain’s Euro 2024 squad, with coach Luis de la Fuente surprisingly choosing him over Alejandro Grimaldo and he has rewarded the manager’s faith with some outstanding performances on the left.

With right-back Dani Carvajal set to miss Tuesday’s game against France through suspension, Cucurella’s versatility, which has helped Chelsea get going, could also prove useful to Spain.

“I’ve had to try a bit of everything in my career and that’s helped me a lot to know how to counter, because I’ve also played more forward,” Cucurella said.

“My position is left-back. At Chelsea, due to circumstances, I had to play on the right. But wherever I play, I will try to do my best because the important thing is to win.

“We are a group of players who give everything for our teammates and that is one of the secrets. I think we have created a great group.

“We have a mix of veterans and very young players and that makes it very enjoyable. The main thing is to be like a family. We may not have superstars, but as a team we are good, we are doing well and I hope we continue like that.”

($1 = 0.7808 pounds)