Real Madrid officially presented Marc Cucurella as a new player on Monday.
The presentation took place privately in the boardroom at Real Madrid City, continuing the format the club has used for its new signings this summer. Cucurella was joined by Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez and honorary president José Martínez Pirri before signing his contract, which runs until June 2032.
Cucurella spoke about the significance of joining Real Madrid and his ambitions for the coming years.
“It’s an honor.
It’s a very special day. Summer has felt long, but it’s an honor to wear this shirt, the shirt of the best club in the world. I hope it will be a great chapter and we can win many titles,” Cucurella said.
The 28-year-old also highlighted his desire to win the Champions League and experience playing at the Santiago Bernabéu as a Real Madrid player.
“I hope I’m lucky enough to have some great seasons and win a Champions League trophy. I’m really looking forward to playing at the Bernabéu; I know how imposing it is and the influence it has on comebacks. It’s going to be one of the best stages of my career, and I hope things go well so we can make the Madrid fans happy,” he said.
Cucurella’s move brings him back to Spanish football five years after leaving Getafe for the Premier League. He made his La Liga breakthrough during a loan spell with Eibar in the 2018-19 season before spending two seasons with Getafe, initially on loan and then permanently.
He departed Spain having made 107 La Liga appearances and moved to Brighton in 2021. Cucurella spent one season there, making 38 appearances and being voted the club’s player of the season by both supporters and his teammates.
Chelsea signed him the following summer, and Cucurella went on to spend four seasons at Stamford Bridge. He finished his time in England with 201 official appearances across Brighton and Chelsea, including 150 in the Premier League. His spell at Chelsea included victories in the Conference League and Club World Cup.
His club success was accompanied by an important period with Spain. Cucurella had previously won an Olympic silver medal at Tokyo 2020 before becoming a World Cup winner with the senior national team this summer.
Real Madrid completed a €55 million deal for Cucurella on June 15, shortly before Spain began its World Cup campaign. His participation in the tournament meant his integration into José Mourinho’s squad was delayed, and he has only been working under the Portuguese coach for around two weeks.
Despite the limited preparation time, Cucurella has already made his first two appearances for Madrid. He featured in the preseason friendly against Schalke before playing in Saturday’s La Liga opener against Espanyol.
The next step will be establishing himself in Mourinho’s starting XI as he builds up his match fitness and becomes more accustomed to his new teammates. Madrid’s upcoming games against Real Sociedad on Wednesday and Málaga on Sunday will both take place at the Bernabéu, giving Cucurella his first opportunities to play at his new home stadium as a Real Madrid player.
