There was one sour note in an otherwise serene evening in Gelsenkirchen. Marc Cucurella made his Real Madrid debut in Sunday’s 3-0 friendly win at Schalke 04, replacing Alvaro Carreras in the 61st minute, and every touch he took was whistled. Cucurella booed by a German crowd is nothing new — and Vinicius Junior got the same treatment from sections of the home support.
Why was Cucurella booed in Germany?
The grudge dates back to Euro 2024 and Spain’s quarter-final against Germany. The ball struck Cucurella’s hand inside his own penalty area, referee Anthony Taylor waved play on, and Spain went through 2-1. Germany have not let it go. As Madrid Universal explained, UEFA later acknowledged that a penalty should have been awarded, which only sharpened the sense of injustice. The left-back has been jeered on every visit to the country since, and a pre-season friendly in a white shirt was never going to earn him an amnesty.
None of it appeared to trouble him. Speaking to Real Madrid TV after the final friendly of Mourinho’s pre-season, the Spain international sounded like a man enjoying himself.
“First minutes, and I wanted them badly. The wait felt long. Little by little I am getting up to speed and I am looking forward to starting LaLiga.”
Half an hour was enough to underline what August has hinted at all month: the battle for the left-back shirt is real, and Cucurella intends to win it. “It was a great game from everyone and a great result before the league starts,” he added. Los Blancos are back at Valdebebas this week with the LaLiga opener next up — and with a left-back who has proved he can play through noise.
