Marc Cucurella says he has been in touch with Cole Palmer at Euro 2024 and hopes his Chelsea team-mate stays on the bench for Spain’s clash with England in the final.
The 25-year-old left-back endured a difficult season at Chelsea last term but has been instrumental for Spain this summer, starting all but one of his nation’s games en route to Sunday’s spectacle.
After starring in Spain’s semi-final victory over France on Tuesday, La Roja’s sixth successive win at the tournament, Cucurella is widely expected to continue his run in Luis de la Fuente’s starting XI.
Spain have been far and away the most convincing team in Germany and enter their first major final in 12 years as the favourites to get their hands on the trophy.
Cucurella could come up against his club team-mate Palmer in Berlin, though the attacker – Chelsea’s Player of the Season – has so far been limited to substitute appearances by Gareth Southgate.
Palmer made a huge impact off the bench in the Three Lions’ semi-final victory over the Netherlands, though, providing the assist for Ollie Watkins’ stunning 90th-minute winner in Dortmund.
‘I spoke with him, but it was over a week ago. We talked for a while in the previous rounds,’ Cucurella told Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo.
‘For me, it’s much better if he doesn’t play and stays on the bench.’
Asked if De la Fuente had asked him for any inside information on England’s players, Cucurella replied: ‘Today we had our first talk and we discussed it a bit.
‘But he has Rodri, who knows more about English football than I do.
‘I suppose that if he has doubts, we can give him different points of view.
‘We are going to approach the game as we have done for every other match so far. If we are at our best level, we have a good chance of winning.’
While Cucurella has shone at the Euros and proven many of his doubters wrong, the full-back found himself the target of boos and jeers during Spain’s semi-final defeat of France in Munich – leaving many viewers confused.
It subsequently became evident that the culprits were not disgruntled French fans, rather neutral German supporters venting their anger after Cucurella escaped punishment for a shout of handball in last week’s quarter-final.
Asked whether he was surprised by the booing, Cucurella replied: ‘At first, yes, a little, because I didn’t really understand it.
‘But I quickly saw that there were a lot of people in white and I understood why.
‘Spending money to be in the semi-finals of the European Championship and then to boo… they could have given the ticket to someone who would have enjoyed the match.
‘The important thing is that we are in the final and the people who were angry or bored are watching it at home.’
Earlier this week, Cucurella’s girlfriend claimed the Chelsea star had ‘promised’ to dye his hair bright red should Spain beat England at the Olympiastadion.
‘If we win, if we win… I can’t play in a final with red hair,’ he responded.
‘I have to do it and I’ve been thinking about how so that I don’t end up with red hair like the character in the Little Mermaid. We’ll do something.’
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