Real Madrid left back Marc Cucurella is one of the best players in the world in his position, as the reigning 2024 European Champion with the Spanish national team has only strengthened his status among his peers at left back with a truly stellar 2026 World Cup campaign for La Roja.
Cucurella shut down Real Madrid's No. 1 dream summer transfer target and Ballon d'Or contender Michael Olise in the semifinals when Spain defeated France 2-0. He had Olise in his back pocket and has been shutting down shop on the left flank all World Cup long.
But even though Cucurella is in the prime of his career at 27 years old and playing the best ball of his life this summer as he prepares to play for the biggest club of his career, Real Madrid, in 2026/27, he is already pondering retirement - from the national team, that is.
Marc Cucurella's retirement talk is serious
Cucurella first made the surprising comments in the week leading up to the World Cup Final against Lionel Messi and Argentina, and he has only doubled down on them in comments to the press just before the big game.
The former Chelsea and Brighton fullback said, via the Madrid Zone, “Retiring from international football if Spain win? Yes with a World Cup and Euros you can’t do much better.”
Honestly, it is hard to fault Marc Cucurella for the logic there, though you would think that most ambitious, elite footballers who are about to play for Real Madrid would just want to win more and more.
But Madridistas, selfishly, would not mind Cucurella leaving Spain after winning the World Cup and thwarting a Lionel Messi fairytale. Because then, Cucurella would get to focus 100 percent on Real Madrid, and immediately after signing for the Merengues from Chelsea for a cool 60 million euros, he made his stance clear that his biggest dream is to win the Champions League with the Royal White club.
Cucurella will have less chances to get injured and more fitness to shut down the left flank, tireless bombard it, and work to stack more Champions Leagues for the club with way more UCL titles than anyone else in the world if he ends up winning the World Cup for Spain this summer and officially retiring. It is a bold, surprising call for a 27 year old to make, but Madridistas would surely love to have all of Cucurella.
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