Football: Soccer-Cururella happy to reap the rewards after working in silence

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) – Spain full back Marc Cucurella has been one of the brightest spots of Spain’s Euro 2024 campaign and credited his performances to his diligent work ethic during an underwhelming spell at club side Chelsea.

Preparing to face fellow contenders France on Tuesday for a spot in the final, the 25-year-old defender said on Sunday that he was proud to be benefiting from grinding away during two turbulent seasons in West London.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s sooner or later, if people talk about you, it’s good. What is happening is the fruit of many years of working in silence,” Cucurella told a press conference on Sunday.

“Nobody has given me anything so I am very happy right now. I knew that if I worked hard and gave my best, this could happen. It’s a dream to be here and a lot of people would give everything they have to be here where I am.

“There are a couple steps left. If we don’t play in the final on Sunday, it won’t do any good. We have to make one more effort to get there.”

Cucurella’s impressive Euros is a massive turnaround for a player who struggled following his arrival at Stamford Bridge two years ago on a 62 million pounds ($79.41 million) transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion.

After a poor first campaign and an injury-hampered start to his second season, Cucurella had a strong end to the campaign playing both on the left and as an inverted full back.

That led him to be included in Spain’s squad for Euro 2024, with coach Luis de la Fuente surprisingly picking him ahead of Alejandro Grimaldo and he has repaid the manager’s faith with some standout performances on the left.

With right back Dani Carvajal set to miss Tuesday’s match against France due to a suspension, Cucurella’s versatility that helped Chelsea kick into gear could also be helpful to Spain.

“I’ve had to try a bit of everything in my career and that has helped me a lot to know how to counteract, because I’ve also played further forward,” Cucurella said.

“My position is left back. At Chelsea, due to circumstances, I had to play on the right. But wherever I play, I will try to do my best because the important thing is to win.

“We are a group of players that give everything for our teammates and that’s one of the secrets. I think we have created a great group.

“We have a mix of veterans and very young players and that makes it all very enjoyable, the key is to be like a family. We may not have superstars, but as a team we are good, we are doing well and I hope we keep that way.”

($1 = 0.7808 pounds)

(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Christian Radnedge)