Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has urged Marc Cucurella to honour a unique promise he made before the World Cup final. The former Chelsea defender lifted the iconic golden trophy after helping his country to beat Argentina over the weekend. It marked his second major international honour in as many years, having previously won Euro 2024 with La Roja.
Before the World Cup final, Cucurella pledged to retire from international duty if Spain went all the way. He suggested that lifting the trophy would leave him with nothing left to achieve for his country. He also promised to honour his manager by getting a tattoo of his face to celebrate the landmark victory.
“If we win the World Cup, I’ll call Luis the next day and tell him not to count on me anymore, that I’m retiring from the national team,” said Cucurella. “With a European Championship and a World Cup, I can’t do any better.”
In a separate interview, the defender claimed: “I would get a little tattoo of Spain manager Luis de la Fuente’s face on my bicep if we were to win the World Cup.”
Now, he has been challenged to stick to his promise by De la Fuente, who suggested that others had made similar pledges.
“They made a mistake, but they are men of their word, and they will stick to their word,” said the Spain boss.
“I am not too ugly, they will just need to find a part of their body which is not too visible. If you say something you need to stick to your word.”
De la Fuente has successfully restored Spain to a world-leading force since being appointed in 2022, having previously worked with the country’s age-group sides.
Quizzed on how he has managed to do it, the 65-year-old explained that putting the collective over the individual was crucial to the team’s success.
“We’re where we want to be, we’re privileged to represent our country with a wonderful national team, with exceptional players,” he said.
“I believe the real success relies on having the right travel companions. The people with values and principles. The only merit we have is seeking out good people who put the collective good ahead of the individual.”