How much football can a much employed professional cope with? Quite a lot if you look at Marc Cucurella. And the tendency also points up for the Spaniard.
Maybe everything is a question of attitude. “I think it is really important to be happy outside of the field so that you can be successful on the field“, said Marc Cucurella recently in a UEFA interview. The Spaniard was successful with the massive curly mane.
- July 14, 2024: Marc Cucurella holds up the European Championship Cup – after seven games in four weeks.
- July 13, 2025: Marc Cucurella wins with FC Chelsea The club World Cup. In between there were 61 competitive games with 5,002 minutes of use. In a year, almost without a break.
| Competition | Missions | |
|---|---|---|
Premier League | 36 | |
Conference League | 9 | |
FA Cup | 2 | |
League | 1 | |
Club World Cup | 6 | |
Nations League | 7 | |
SUM | 61 |
A little summer vacation and otherwise no break
In the summer of 2024, Cucurella had a few weeks of vacation after the EM triumph. In mid -August, the left -back was again on the pitch for Chelsea FC.
Since the Premier League no winter break knows, cucurella with the “blues“Until the final of the Conference League came – and she won – with Spain to the final of the Nations League moved in-and it lost-and then traveled again with Chelsea to the club World Cup, the 26-year-old played football at a top level for almost a year without a break.
Without injuries in the past season
Injury -related failures in this period: none. How long can that go well? Not long when it comes to Carsten Ramelow, for example, the President of the German Professional Biller Association VDV. “But football does not need gigantism, but rather a good measure that guarantees the health protection of the players and is based on the interests of the fans”ex-international Ramelow recently said.
Sergio Marchi, the President of the International Player Organization Fifpro, comes into the same horn. The World Association FIFA and his President Gianni Infanto delivered “Entertainment for the masses, while behind the scenes inequality, uncertainty and the lack of protection for the true protagonists are becoming ever deeper.”
An operation in seven years
Cucurella does not seem to need this protection yet: in almost seven professional years, he had just two smaller muscle injuries. He had to cope with the longest failure in the 2023/24 season when he lacked Chelsea and Spain FC after an operation on the ankle for a little more than two months.
It was different for his compatriot Rodri. In the European Championship final, the MVP of the tournament later stood and celebrated with Cucurella. Then the midfielder from Manchester City and “La Roja” contracted a cruciate ligament tear after 58 games in the 2023/24 season in September 2024. Only at the club World Cup Rodri celebrated his comeback with the team of coach Pep Guardiola.
So so far was Cucurella luck? Or does it have better systems or a less stress -intensive position? The next season will show it. If it becomes a really good playing time for Chelsea and Spain FC, there may be even more games for Cucurella.
| Competition | Possible missions (each up to the final) | |
|---|---|---|
Premier League | 36 | |
Champions League (with playoffs) | 17 | |
FA Cup (without a repeat game) | 6 | |
League | 7 | |
World Cup qualification | 6 | |
World Cup 2026 | 8 | |
SUM | 80 |
No end in sight
80 games in less than 12 months are possible. Of course, Cucurella will not play all of these games and Chelsea or Spain will win all titles. But it is not impossible that the left -back will be with even more competitive games in the summer of 2026.
Notes that this is not currently being recognized. On the contrary: there are tendencies both at UEFA and FIFA to further inflate their competitions. Maybe there is actually no more than like Cucurella, the positive attitude that everything will go well when life is good.