Marc Cucurella and his girlfriend Claudia Rodriguez responded to Gary Neville after Spain’s victory over England in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday night.
Spain secured their fourth European Championship title with Mikel Oyarzabal’s 86th-minute goal clinching a 2-1 win over Gareth Southgate’s team in Berlin.
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Cucurella was one of the unexpected stars of the tournament for Spain, surprising many who doubted whether the Chelsea defender would even make Luis de la Fuente’s squad.
Neville, however, had singled out Cucurella as Spain’s weak point before their first group match, which resulted in a commanding 3-0 win over Croatia.
“We didn’t think he’d play,” Neville said on ITV on June 15.
“He’s not been convincing at Chelsea, he’s played a few games towards the end of the season, he’s aggressive, he’s tenacious, he’s a busy little full-back.
“That price tag still, to be fair, astounds everybody I think to this day.
“The Spanish defence has got a lot of experience now but there’s something just missing from Spain that makes you feel like they’re going to go all the way.
“And I have to say, him [Cucurella] being at left-back probably is another example of why we think that.”
But after Spain’s triumph over Southgate’s team, Neville’s comments came back to bite him as both Cucurella and Rodriguez responded to the former Manchester United and England defender.
Rodriguez posted a photo on Instagram of Cucurella celebrating with the trophy, captioning it: “How was your night, @gneville2?”
Cucurella, for his part, shared a snippet of Neville’s criticism and posted a picture of himself celebrating along with the message: “We went all the way Gary. Thanks for your support.”
Speaking to TVE after Spain’s win at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Cucurella said: “Nobody gave us a chance.
“We just kept quiet and, in the end, we won the Euros.
“We showed that we know how to play, but also how to suffer. We suffered like a family. When we arrived, we were a group of players. Now, we are a family.
“This is incredible and it’s already history.”