Spain star ruins Gary Neville with 10-word response to pre-tournament prediction
Marc Cucurella has sarcastically thanked former England right-back Gary Neville for his “support” after Spain won the European Championship.
La Roja overcame England 2-1 in Sunday’s final in Berlin to win their fourth European Championship title, with Mikel Oyarzabal coming off the bench to score a late winner.
Oyarzabal was assisted by Chelsea defender Cucurella, who had an excellent tournament and was comfortably the best left-back at Euro 2024.
Before Spain’s tournament kicked off, Manchester United legend Neville pretty much wrote off Spain when discussing their credentials in Germany, singling out Cucurella as a weak link.
“He’s aggressive, he’s tenacious, he’s a busy little full back,” he said. “The price tag still astounds everyone to this day.
“The Spanish defence, it’s 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. I have to say that him being at left back is a good example of why we think that.”
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Neville has been made to eat his words after Spain lifted the trophy with Cucurella barely putting a foot wrong, and the £62million Chelsea defender has let him know about it.
Posting on social media, Cucurella captioned a graphic of Neville’s above quote, writing: “We went all the way Gary. Thanks for your support.”
Meanwhile, Neville has shared his thoughts on Harry Kane’s performance in the final of Euro 2024.
England captain Kane was substituted in the 61st minute after failing to make an impact against Spain, picking up a yellow card in the first half and failing to register a shot on target.
Kane, who “doesn’t look right physically” might be “the very best striker” in English football history but his performances in Germany have been “staggering” to Neville.
He said: “Why have we all of a sudden decided we have to tell Harry Kane how to play centre-forward?
“This tournament has been staggering to me, because he’s been dropping in for five or six years at Spurs doing exactly the same things that he’s been doing this tournament.
“He doesn’t look right physically, that’s what I would say, but I think he knows how to play the game. He’s the very best striker we’ve ever had.”
Former Manchester United team-mate Roy Keane added: “I think when he’s been dropping deep, not in position sense, he has looked a little bit sluggish.
“He just needs to be a bit sharper with his distribution. I think his positional sense [has been fine] it’s just his sharpness isn’t quite there.”
Neville continued: “I think in the next couple of weeks, or maybe even quicker that, it will emerge that he’s been patching himself up to get out there on the pitch. That’s ordinarily what happens.
“He doesn’t look right and it’s something to do with his physicality, it’s nothing to do with his understanding of the game.”
After the result on Sunday, England manager Gareth Southgate admitted that Kane has found it physically “tough” at Euro 2024.
“Physically it’s been a tough period for him,” he said.
“He came in short of games, and he’s not quite got up to the level that we’d have all hoped.
“The games are hugely demanding and we felt Ollie’s freshness would allow us to press a bit better, which we needed to do, and would offer us a threat in behind.”
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