Why is Marc Cucurella being booed in the Euro 2024 final?

England are playing Spain in the Euron 2024 final which is obviously a major moment for both nations and their sporting interests but one man in the Olympiastadion in Berlin is attracting a lot of interest from local, or should we say boos: Marc Cucurella.

The Spanish fullback who plays his club football in England with Chelsea, is being booed mercilessly by every German fan in attendance thanks to his misdemeanours in the quarter-finals where Spain played Germany.

During the game, which Spain won 2-1 thanks to a dramatic last-minute header from the former Newcastle player Mikel Merino, Cucurella got away with a controversial handball in the box, which many felt should have been a penalty for the host nation.

However, the on-field referee Anthony Taylor VAR did not deem it a handball and neither Cucurella nor Spain were penalised for the incident.

Although it is highly unlikely that Cucurella deliberately cheated to gain an unfair advantage over his opponents, the German fans did not see it that way and have booed the 25-year-old every time he has touched the ball since, starting with the semi-final win over France and into the final against England.

Cucurella is earning just his ninth cap for Spain in the final having made his debut for the former world champions in 2021. He started his career at Barcelona before moving to Getafe and finally establishing himself in England playing for Brighton and Hove Albion. He signed for Chelsea in 2022.

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