"Maffeo is intense and quite obnoxious"

Cucurella defended Maffeo after the tense Valencia-Real Madrid clash, saying the Valencia defender is intense on the pitch but friendly off it.

Marc Cucurella was asked about the aftermath of Saturday's tense Valencia-Real Madrid match, which Real Madrid won 3-0. The game featured several heated moments, with Valencia defender Pablo Maffeo involved in some of them. Maffeo also made controversial comments to the press at half-time, saying "This is rubbish, this interview is pointless."

Cucurella, speaking in a lighthearted tone, defended his acquaintance: "We've known each other for a long time. I already know how he is and in the end I'm a bit like that too. He's very intense, very crazy, but in the end we were talking. I like that because on the pitch he's quite annoying, quite obnoxious, but once the match ends, that ends."

The Real Madrid left-back added that he considers himself a similar type of player—intense and demanding during matches but able to switch off afterwards. Cucurella made these comments while with the Spain squad preparing for Nations League matches against Czechia and England.