Mark Cucurella: “If we reach the final, I will paint myself red”

That must be really cool to hear.”Kuku-kuku“

Fully. It’s years of work, sweat, and being in the shadows. The fact that in such an important Eurocup match people are chanting your name is beautiful, special; and it makes me remember the people who helped me get here.

Do you have time to realize that you are being supported from the stands?

You don’t hear everything, but if the ball goes out or the game stops, you can hear the stands better. But to hear all this, that they remember you and the work you do, is very pleasant.

You’re natural like his wifewhich is included in the match previews in the SER carousel…

Fine. At the end of the day, we are normal people who are lucky enough to play football for a living. In addition, she really loves football. Now he lives differently. But we take it very well, for the purpose of having fun. My family deserves it too, because they were with me in difficult times. The experience is pleasant.

“Normal people,” he says. What is its origin?

I started playing mini-football. My father signed me because he thought seven-a-side football was too old for me. Then I started at Espanyol in futsal, and from there I moved to Barça as part of the cadets. Eventually I started playing for fun. The important thing is that you play because you like it, and not because you are forced to. I never saw football as something that would lead me to becoming a professional. I always thought of it as something I enjoyed; and teams signed me… And I loved it. And one day I became a professional. Now live it and enjoy it, because this is a short stage of your life, but you can experience very beautiful things.

Are you sacrificing a certain offensive calling to focus on defense on this team?

I think at the end of the day we have very good players and I think with what we have there is no need… I can contribute offensively but in these games I had to play more defensive role. At the end of the day, I’ll tell you what. Niko is great at his job, and the other day he was unstoppable… He didn’t need my help either. Sometimes it depends on the game. I was in teams where I played as a striker. At Brighton I even played as a third centre-back. Now I play more as a striker. Extreme at this level will be very difficult. I try to give everything and make it available to the team.

There was an important moment in his career: in 2019, Valverde decided that Miranda would be the second first-team defender after Jordi Alba. This made him leave. Did you think your career would stall?

I was in La Masia for a long time, you are young, and the truth is that leaving was not very pleasant. But then I got this opportunity at Eibar and I took it as an experience. Everything went well and made me happy. I’m grateful for what happened because maybe I wouldn’t have had as many minutes at Barça. I might have gotten stuck. At the end of the day, everything happens for a reason and I had to take a different route: go on loan until I get to a big club. In the end, I’m happy. I don’t regret anything I’ve done along the way. Maybe if they had given me that opportunity when Jordi Alba was there, he would have played everything and I would have played in those moments. And maybe two years went by without playing; and when you’re young, it lowers your confidence. I’m fine.

Which side did you look at as a child?

I watched Barça and remember the days of Jordi Alba. I liked Puyol because he was a player who had nothing special but left everything on the field and that led him to become the best in the world. And these are the players I like. Alaba, when I was at Bayern, I liked him. A bit of everything. The truth is that when I watch football, I do it as a fan to enjoy it. And I liked Ronaldinho.

How do you see Carvajal?

From the first day I saw him at the March draft, he showed that he is a role model in the way he trains every day. His attitude, how angry he gets when he loses small games… He’s won six Champions Leagues and even then it’s incredible how he approaches every game. He surprises me with such concentration. I didn’t have a chance to meet him before and I thought he was great. I hope we win the European Championship and he can be a candidate for the Ballon d’Or because his career and his contributions are good.

In the locker room you feel what they really are. Do you consider yourself capable of reaching the final, even if Germany might interfere along the way?

It is true that we are doing very well and if we play at the level of Italy we can achieve great success. But we already know what football is. If you’re having a stupid day, you go somewhere. But I think we have a very good group, a good family; and tournaments are won by teams that unite and play as a family. By doing things well and in this spirit, we can become candidates for this title.

It was Thursday best game he played in your career?

It was a great match, but I have to admit that it was against Italy, in the European Championship, we qualified… If I play this match and the team doesn’t win, it’s not the same. But it is true that he was, if not the best, then one of the best. I also remember the game between Eibar and Real Madrid, which we won with a score of 3:0. It was my second or third game as a starter in La Liga and we beat the whole Madrid team. I hope this is not the last great game with the national team. This will mean that we are doing everything well.

Because of the position he works in, he trained a lot against Messi in Barcelona. And now he’s training against Lamin. What’s special about this? He was twelve years old when you left Barça. Have you heard anything about him yet?

Lamin looked familiar to me because he is from Mataro. And my wife is from Mataro, and she told me: there is a boy here who is very good in the junior categories. Until I made my debut in the main team, I didn’t show him my face. It’s very special. What he does at his age is difficult. There’s always something different. For me, I have to train against him, you never know what he will do to you. There’s something different about him. This sets it apart from others and can mark the games. And if he continues to stay at this level, he could mark an era.

What is the team’s ceiling?

We are very young and have a great team. We have created a great group and can do good things. You should enjoy the journey. We are 26 privileged; and you should enjoy this moment. Ultimately, I believe that if we continue to have fun, almost without realizing it, we will play big games in which everything is decided.

Let’s do her hair. Everyone is wondering if it was his mother’s decision, her idolatry of Puyol…

In the end, I let it grow out because when you’re a child, your mother decides, and she liked it that way. My brother wore this for a long time. He was blond with straight hair; and we carried it like this. I played football, I was doing well, people recognized me by my hair and stuff… My brother cut him off. I left it like that and we will continue like this because it’s not that bad.