Chelsea's Marc Cucurella reveals the fiery exchange with Adama Traore and how he intentionally sought the dramatic aerial clash.
Marc Cucurella does not hide. Trained at La Masia with a career that has taken him from Barcelona to Getafe, Brighton, and Chelsea, the full-back has established himself among the elite and with the national team. And he is back in the spotlight because of an image that spread like wildfire.
It happened in the Chelsea-West Ham match. A very hard clash with Adama Traore ended with Cucurella flying through the air in a physical duel that ignited social media due to the force of the action.
Cucurella himself explained it on 'FanZone', Gerard Romero's program. The play happened near the end, with the ball going out wide. He put his body in the way and sought the contact. "There is a moment when I get up, and I feel very close to him, and I said, okay, I'm going to put my head here to see if I can create a bit of controversy. He grabbed me, threw me where he could, and a good scuffle broke out," he recounted.
Romero pointed out that, being both Catalan and former La Masia players, the tension should stay on the field. Cucurella agreed, but left a sarcastic remark: "No, these are things that happen. I don't have any problem, although if I ran into him on the street, I would hesitate whether to say hello or not after this."
During the program, they connected live with Adama Traore, who played down the incident and explained the context. "He is a very good guy. Everything stays on the field; it was the heat of the match. I really didn't mean to do it; it wasn't my intention," said the winger.
Cucurella closed the chat with laughter, aware of the distance. "Now I am calm because there's a screen in between... No, but it's fine. It all stays there."
The Spanish international, 27, has played 85% of the possible minutes in the Premier League, alternating between his natural left-back position and an "inverted full-back" role that positions him in central midfield during possession phases. This technical evolution has allowed Cucurella to record an 88% pass accuracy rate, one of the highest figures for a defender in England.
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