Marc Cucurella is now a World Cup winner and he is going to celebrate in unique fashion, by getting a very interesting new tattoo.
It has been a huge summer for the full-back, having signed for Real Madrid from Chelsea and now adding the World Cup to his incredible CV.
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in Sunday’s World Cup final in New Jersey, a game they dominated but only narrowly won despite the impotent nature of the defending champions’ attack.
The European champions have now conquered the world and the typically daft Cucurella is going to have to follow through on a promise he made before the tournament.
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‘If we win the World Cup, I’ll get Luis de la Fuente’s face tattooed on me,’ the 27-year-old said, in a bold move. ‘Small, but I think it’s a good memento.
‘We’d have to think about the placement. I’ll sign the tattoo, then we’d have to consider the location and where.’
With Spain among the favourites going into the tournament, Cucurella must have been pretty comfortable with the idea and he says he will be a man of his word.
After victory in New Jersey on Sunday, he said: ‘I have to think about where I’m going to put it. People will ask me about it, so it doesn’t have to be in a visible place, but oh well.
‘I think we have a long journey ahead of us, I hope they give me some ideas, I’ll think about it and then I’ll have to do it.’
De la Fuente has encouraged his player to not back down, reassuring Cucurella that his face is not the worst thing he could have inked.
‘They made a mistake, but they are men of their word, and they will stick to their word,’ said the manager. ‘I am not too ugly, they will just need to find a part of their body which is not too visible.’
This is not the first time Cucurella has made a bet for himself at a major tournament, although this one is far more extreme than the last.
At Euro 2024 the flying left-back said he would dye his hair red if Spain won the tournament, which they did.
He said of the promise ahead of the final with England: ‘If we win, if we win… I can’t play in a final with red hair.
‘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.’
Cucurella has moved to Real Madrid in a deal worth just shy of £52m, a transfer he said he could not turn down despite being happy in London.
‘If you had asked me a few months ago, I probably would have said I don’t expect to leave Chelsea,’ Cucurella said in June. ‘I was very happy there and so was my family.
‘It isn’t easy leaving Chelsea. I arrived as a young kid, I dreamed of winning trophies and Chelsea gave me that, but I think the step to go to Real Madrid now is bigger.
‘I have the chance to come back to my country, to one of the best clubs in the world, and I think it is a step I need to make.
‘It is a decision that wasn’t easy, but it is right for me and my family.’