Cucurella confirms Mourinho call ahead of Real Madrid move

Cucurella ready for Real Madrid, but not yet

Marc Cucurella has spoken for the first time about his move to Real Madrid. The Chelsea left-back confirmed Jose Mourinho called him personally, and Florentino Perez made a direct request to get the deal done (1). The fee is reportedly around €50m to €60m.

Cucurella is not rushing the moment. "I still haven't fully processed it," he said from Spain's World Cup camp. "Hopefully that moment takes a while to arrive because it would mean we're doing well here" (1). He is locked in on the Austria match Tuesday, then he can think about the Bernabeu.

Pubill: Alvarez is the best No.9 in the world

Marc Pubill did not hold back. The Spain and Atletico Madrid defender called Julian Alvarez the best No.9 in world football right now (2). Pubill trains with him every day at Atletico and sees the full picture. The comment lands as Alvarez continues to attract interest from top clubs.

Palacios wants Mourinho's attention at Madrid

Cesar Palacios has a clear target: impress Jose Mourinho and earn a place in Real Madrid's first team (3). The 20-year-old midfielder is drawing interest from Athletic Club and Fulham, but his priority is staying at Madrid and breaking through under the new manager. Dani Ceballos, Nico Paz, and Alvaro Arbeloa are all in the mix for midfield spots, so Palacios faces real competition (3).

Fan reactions

Spain's 2010 World Cup title keeps coming up in the wrong way. A stat making the rounds on Reddit notes that none of the last three European World Cup winners (Italy 2006, Spain 2010, Germany 2014) have won a knockout match since lifting the trophy, a combined 11 tournaments of frustration. Meanwhile, Morocco fans are enjoying their penalty shootout record, having knocked Spain out in 2022 and now the Netherlands in 2026. Read the full thread.