Marc Cucurella says he felt “very good” after his first appearance for Real Madrid, even after sections of the FC Schalke 04 crowd booed him throughout the match. He came on in the 61st minute to replace Álvaro Carreras, and the noise followed every touch.
The Schalke reaction
The hostility was tied to the Euro 2024 quarter-final against Germany, when the ball struck Cucurella’s hand inside the penalty area and Anthony Taylor did not award a penalty. UEFA later acknowledged that a penalty should have been given.
That context was obvious in the stands, but the reaction on the night was still only from sections of the crowd, not every Schalke supporter in the stadium. Cucurella did not sound rattled by it afterwards. Speaking to madriduniversal.com, he said: “Very happy. It was a great game from everyone. Great result. I’m really looking forward to it. The wait felt long.”
Cucurella's response
His second quote was even more relaxed. “I felt very good. Easy with these teammates,” he said.
It fits the rest of the evening. Real Madrid have won 4 of their last 5 matches, and they finished 2nd in La Liga in 2025, so Cucurella joined a squad already carrying form and expectation. The debut itself will be remembered less for the result than for the reception, but his own reaction was calm enough to take the sting out of it.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
