‘When Real come for you it’s very difficult to say no’: Cucurella explains Chelsea exit

Marc Cucurella has admitted that he had not expected to leave Chelsea and that his £52m signing for Real Madrid was done in a day and a half. The Spain left-back also defended himself against the backlash from Barcelona fans, insisting that although he was born and raised in Catalonia and joined the Barça academy aged 14, he could not turn down Real Madrid. “I am very happy,” the 27-year-old said – if maybe not as happy as his wife, Claudia, whose entire family are Madrid supporters. “It was all very fast,” Cucurella said from Spain’s training base in Chattanooga, Tennessee. “I got a phone call one morning. My people told me the two clubs had the terms mostly agreed and that I had to decide if I wanted to go there. I had no doubts. It is a big step for me, very important in my career. It all happened in roughly a day and a half. For me, that was the best thing, so it could be all done and I could keep my focus on the World Cup .” Marc Cucurella in Spain’s surprise 0-0 draw with Cape Verde. Photograph: Colin Hubbard/AP The full-back added: “If you had asked me a few months ago, I would probably have told you I didn’t expect to leave Chelsea. I was very happy there, my family too. But in life and football sometimes you need to change and start chapters you did not expect. It’s not easy to leave Chelsea. I lived there for four years and I think I arrived as a young kid. I dreamt of winning trophies and Chelsea gave me the chance. I’m very grateful to what they gave me. …