Marc Cucurella Reflects on His First Night at the Bernabeu
Marc Cucurella walked off the Santiago Bernabeu pitch with a grin that said everything. The scoreboard, the atmosphere, the trophy parade – it all felt perfect. His body, though, is still catching up.
The left-back has yet to start any of Real Madrid’s first two games of the new campaign, and he didn’t try to hide why. A broken pre-season has left him behind the rest of the squad in terms of rhythm and sharpness, and he knows it.
“Step by step. It’s clear that we didn’t have much of a preseason, but little by little, I’m feeling better. We’re doing a great job. The season is long, and the coach knows how to manage the team very well. That’s one of his strengths,” he told the club’s official media, laying out the reality of his situation without complaint.
For Cucurella, this was not just another home game. It was his first real night as a Madrid player at the Bernabeu, under the lights, with something meaningful on the line and the stands full. The occasion hit him hard.
“A perfect night, you can’t ask for more. Showing the Club World Cup trophy to the fans was a very special moment. Then, during the match, we did a great job. We were up against a great team. They made things difficult for us, but the team delivered an excellent performance,” he said, still riding the high of it all.
What turned it from special to unforgettable was who was watching. For the first time, his family were in the stadium to see him in a Madrid shirt, and that changed everything.
“Very special. It was very emotional. A very important day, the first time my family was here at the stadium to see me. I’m very happy, and I hope there are more nights like this. I felt privileged. Not many receive this kind of love and get to showcase such an important trophy in this stadium. I’m very happy for the affection I’ve received and will keep working hard because this is just the beginning,” Cucurella reflected.
If his story supplied the emotion, Kylian Mbappe provided the fireworks. The Frenchman tore through the Real Sociedad back line with a ruthless hat-trick, the kind of performance that instantly shifts the mood inside a stadium and inside a dressing room.
Cucurella has seen enough already to understand what Mbappe’s arrival means for Madrid’s season and for defenders like him who suddenly have a generational match-winner ahead of them.
“He is a decisive player, and it’s a privilege to have him on our side. I hope he continues scoring more goals. This won’t be his last hat-trick of the season. With him on fire, the team is much more dangerous, and I’m happy for him,” the Spaniard said.
So the night ended with a paradox: a player not yet at full tilt, talking like someone who knows his real work still lies ahead, standing on the pitch of his dreams while Mbappe lights up the scoreboard. If this is “just the beginning,” as Cucurella insists, how different might his status look by the end of 2026-27?
