Marc Cucurella joked that his Spain career could be at risk if he got too physical with Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal when Chelsea face the Catalan giants in the Champions League this November, MySportDab Repoerts
The left-back was on the scoresheet for Spain in their 3–0 victory over Bulgaria on Thursday, but it was Yamal who once again stole the spotlight. The 17-year-old dazzled in Sofia, contributing to all three goals as La Roja strengthened their World Cup qualifying campaign.
Attention quickly turned from Spain’s routine win to the looming club showdown between Cucurella’s Chelsea and Yamal’s Barcelona in the group stage of Europe’s premier competition.
Having shared Barcelona’s academy system briefly — albeit at different stages — Cucurella hailed his young compatriot as the toughest winger to stop in world football.
“He’s very skilled; you never know what he’s going to do,” Cucurella said. “It’ll be a tough match, but I’ll try to make things as difficult as possible for him. I can’t injure him, though, because otherwise I can’t come back to the national team,” he quipped.
The 27-year-old has proven his defensive resilience in recent high-profile battles, notably frustrating Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and keeping Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah quiet at the end of last season. He suggested a similarly aggressive, front-footed approach may be his best chance of unsettling Yamal.
Cucurella was also asked about this year’s Ballon d’Or race and had no hesitation in backing his international teammate. “I think Lamine has had a great year, he deserves it. At his age, the things he does are worth appreciating,” he said.
Whether he still appreciates them when Yamal visits Stamford Bridge remains to be seen.
