Spain left-back Marc Cucurella fulfilled a pre-tournament promise by getting a tattoo of coach Luis de la Fuente on his left forearm Tuesday, days after winning the 2026 World Cup.
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Marc Cucurella, Spain's left-back and one of the tournament's standout performers, fulfilled a promise made before the World Cup by tattooing the face of national team coach Luis de la Fuente on his left forearm Tuesday.
The tattoo was created by Ganga, a renowned Spanish tattoo artist known for working with celebrities including LeBron James, Vinicius Jr., and Post Malone. The artist documented the tattooing process on social media. Cucurella posted images and videos of the procedure on his Instagram account, captioning the post "Promesa cumplida" (Promise fulfilled) with a handshake and person emoji.
The design depicts de la Fuente holding the World Cup trophy. Cucurella made the commitment public during an interview with El Partidazo de COPE before Spain's World Cup debut. In that conversation, he stated that if the national team won the tournament, he would get a small tattoo of the coach's face as a keepsake, noting he would need to decide on the placement.
Spain defeated Argentina in the final in New Jersey to claim the World Cup title, the nation's second world championship. The first came in 2010 in South Africa. Nine days after lifting the trophy, Cucurella honored his word by completing the tattoo.
The 28-year-old left-back is currently on vacation before joining Real Madrid. Teammate Mikel Merino responded to Cucurella's tattoo on social media, writing "Histórico" (Historic) alongside a laughing emoji and flame emoji.
Portuguese manager, 63, would return to the club if Pérez wins Sunday's presidential election. Benfica has set a release clause price.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino announced the U.S. squad for the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday in New York, featuring Christian Pulisic and excluding midfielder Tanner Tessmann.
The Uruguayan-born defender won four European Cups with Real Madrid between 1957 and 1966 and later managed Spain's 1982 World Cup campaign.
The Redonditos de Ricota leader was a devoted Boca fan who played football recreationally and even dedicated poetry to Juan Román Riquelme.
Mikel Merino scored in the 88th minute after substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens spilled a shot, sending Spain past Belgium 2-1 in the quarter-final.
Coach Néstor Lorenzo named James Rodríguez and Luis Díaz among the squad, including five players from Argentine clubs. Sebastián Villa was excluded.
