Marc Cucurella does not make promises lightly. Before Spain's World Cup final against Argentina, the left-back told Fox Sports he would get "a small tattoo" of national team coach Luis de la Fuente's face if La Roja lifted the trophy. ONE reports that he has now followed through.
Cucurella revealed the finished piece on social media in the days after the final, honouring a pledge he made half-jokingly but clearly meant to keep. The portrait was done by Ganga, a tattoo artist whose past clients include LeBron James and Georgina Rodríguez.
At the time he made the promise, Cucurella was cagey about exactly where the tattoo would go, saying only that it needed to be visible enough that people would notice and ask about it. "I still don't know where and when. I need to think about it well and see where to put it," he said before the final.
De la Fuente, for his part, reacted with amusement when told his players were promising to have his face permanently inked onto their bodies, joking that his squad are people who keep their word — a line that has aged well.
The gesture caps a remarkable summer for Spain. Fran Torres scored in the 106th minute as Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in New Jersey on July 19 to win their second World Cup, 16 years after their first in 2010.
The triumph also completed a rare double: Spain became the first nation to hold both the men's and women's World Cups at the same time, on the back of a 38-game unbeaten run.
Cucurella was one of the standout performers of Spain's campaign, and his next assignment is a fresh one. He completed a summer move from Chelsea to Real Madrid, in a deal reported at around €60 million (€55m plus add-ons), signing a contract through 2032.
He is expected to link up with Real Madrid's pre-season squad shortly, joining fellow new arrivals Ibrahima Konaté, Denzel Dumfries and Bernardo Silva as Los Blancos reshape their squad for the season ahead.
