Marc Cucurella, the Real Madrid and Spain national team player, spoke sarcastically about continuing to be subjected to boos from the German fans since Euro 2024, confirming that the German supporters have not forgotten the controversial incident that occurred in the Spain v Germany clash at the tournament.

Cucurella told Spanish radio station "Cope": "I know I'll never be able to play in Germany, they remind me of that every time."

When it was pointed out that the mistake was the referee's and not his, the Spanish defender responded: "Yes, yes, yes, without a doubt. But I don't know why they held me responsible and took their anger out on me, and in any case, that's how things are."

Laughing, he added: "I know I can't play in Germany, I'm very popular there."

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The crisis dates back to Spain's clash with Germany in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024. A Jamal Musiala shot struck Cucurella's hand inside the penalty area during extra time, with the score level at 1-1, but English referee Anthony Taylor waved away the German claims for a penalty.

That decision enraged the German fans, especially after Spain went on to settle the match 2-1 through Mikel Merino's goal in the final minute of extra time, dumping the hosts out of the tournament.

Cucurella became a target of German jeers in the following matches, hounded with every touch of the ball during Spain's semi-final against France.

It spilled over into club football, too. German fans jeered him during Real Madrid's Champions League clash with Leipzig.

Tellingly, UEFA later admitted in a referees' committee report that the failure to award Germany a penalty had been the wrong call.

Cucurella had already defended himself, insisting he bears no responsibility for referees' decisions. The incident still haunts him more than two years on from Germany's exit.

Real Madrid "the best"

On a related note, the Real Madrid man hailed Los Blancos as the best team in Europe right now, and revealed the player who has surprised him most in the squad.

Cucurella said, in an interview with the programme "El Partidazo" on "Cope" radio: "We are currently the best team in Europe, after producing a very good run of results, and the team has started to look very serious. Are we better than Paris Saint-Germain? I don't watch their matches much."

He added: "The best player at Real Madrid? I could choose Mbappé or Bellingham or Courtois, but I'll mention a player I love very much who doesn't get enough attention, and that's Arda Güler."

"He plays a lot and has great quality, and when he's on the pitch the team plays better, and our performance becomes more cohesive in passing. He's the player who surprised me more than any other," he continued.

Vinicius's runs

On the comparison between Diomande and Vinicius Junior, and how much each helps him on the pitch, Cucurella said: "I don't think Diomande helps me more than Vinicius, but what he does appears more clearly. Diomande makes one run back, so you find him everywhere. As for Vinicius, he makes three runs, then there's one in which he doesn't run, and that's the one everyone notices."