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Real Madrid News Cucurella speaks after Real Madrid presentation: ‘Going to be one of the best stages of my career’ Real Madrid’s presentation carousel continued as Marc Cucurella became the latest signing to be officially welcomed on Monday. As has become customary this summer, the club held a private ceremony in the boardroom at Ciudad Real Madrid, attended by the player, club president Florentino Perez and honorary president Jose Martinez Pirri. The former Chelsea defender formally signed his contract which will keep him at Real Madrid until June 2032 before being presented with a replica of the Santiago Bernabeu and posing for pictures with the president and the honorary president. Cucurella elated Speaking to Real Madrid TV after the private ceremony, Cucurella could not hide his joy at becoming a Real Madrid player this summer. “It’s a great source of pride. It’s a very special day. The summer has felt long, but it’s an honour to wear this shirt, the shirt of the best club in the world. Hopefully it will be a great chapter and we can win many trophies,” he said. Cucurella also spoke about his ambitions at the club, highlighting the UEFA Champions League as a trophy he is especially intent on winning. “Hopefully I’ll be lucky enough to have some great seasons and win a Champions League,” he noted. On the prospect of playing at the Santiago Bernabeu, the left-back added: I’m really looking forward to playing at the Bernabeu. I know how imposing it is and the influence it has during comebacks. This is going to be one of the most beautiful chapters of my career.” Here to become a starter Five years after leaving Getafe for England, Cucurella has returned to Spain to play for Real Madrid. A former Barcelona academy talent, he spent time at Eibar and Getafe before moving to the Premier League, where he played for Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea. Cucurella returns to his homeland after winning the World Cup with Spain, where he was one of the standout performers for La Roja. Real Madrid subsequently paid €55 million for the defender on June 15, shortly before Spain began their successful World Cup campaign. Cucurella has only been working under Jose Mourinho for around two weeks since returning from the World Cup. But he has already made his first two appearances for Real Madrid: one in the friendly against Schalke and his competitive debut in Saturday’s La Liga opener against Espanyol. The final step now is earning a starting place. Once he is fully up to speed physically, he is expected to become a regular in Mourinho’s XI ahead of Alvaro Carreras. That could happen as soon as Wednesday against Real Sociedad or Sunday against Malaga. Real Madrid News Former Real Madrid manager opines on Vinicius situation: ‘Needs to put his energy into the game’ There has been plenty of discussion about what happened with Vinicius Jr. in last Saturday’s match between Espanyol and Real Madrid (1-2). The Brazilian winger received a kick from an opposition player while on the floor, but the incident was overlooked by the referee as well as the VAR. Moreover, the 26-year-old superstar was once again at the receiving end of boos and whistles from opposition fans at the RCDE Stadium. Following the match, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho did not hesitate to say that the Brazilian is being bullied by opponents and supporters. “From the first minute, it’s like he’s already been given a set routine. Now I foul him, now you foul him, one player gets a yellow card, another comes on without one. It’s incredibly frustrating for him; he needs to have a lot of mental control,” Mourinho said. “I’ve even told him that if he scores, he should be careful how he celebrates. We’re in a social era of anti-bullying, but with Vini, we’re still in the era of bullying,” he added. Jorge Valdano gives his take Now, former Real Madrid manager and director Jorge Valdano has given his assessment of the Brazilian on Movistar. “Madridismo backs Vinicius and, of course, his coach backs Vinicius,” Valdano began. The Argentine then immediately pointed out the apparent contradiction in Mourinho’s current stance, compared to what the manager had said while he was at Benfica last season. “But the coach was at Benfica just three months ago and, regarding Vinicius, he said other things,” said Valdano, taking a dig at Mourinho, with whom he does not have the best of relatioships. For Valdano, the situation surrounding Vinicius has become one in which everyone believes they are right. “Here, everyone thinks they are right about Vinicius. The opponents and the Madridistas,” he added. Valdano’s advice to Vinicius Valdano then offered Vinicius some advice about how he should handle the situation, as he said: “I understand that, little by little, Vini is going to have to understand that he needs to put his energy into the game because he’s a star, and that’s where he has to make the difference and build his empire.” “Not through conflict, because that doesn’t benefit him or Real Madrid,” he concluded.