Spain will contest the 2026 World Cup final against Argentina at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday, a stage reached in large part because no opponent has managed to beat their left-back one-on-one since the tournament’s second matchday. Marc Cucurella, nicknamed “Secadora” — the dryer — by teammate Mikel Merino, has rendered Uruguayans, Austrians, Portuguese, Belgians and, in the semi-final, a France attack featuring Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé utterly ineffective down his flank. Despite receiving a yellow card in the 30th minute of that semi-final, the 27-year-old maintained his intensity, prompting former France striker Thierry Henry to remark on French television that Cucurella “had them in his pocket.” Spanish media note that he ranks fifth in total distance covered at the tournament and leads his side in sprints, a physical output that has made him, in the words of his former Eibar coach José Luis Mendilibar, a player no machine would sign but who always chooses correctly.

The full-back’s prominence has been amplified by an extraordinary personal pledge. In an interview with Movistar Plus, Cucurella stated that if Spain lift the trophy, he will inform coach Luis de la Fuente the following day that he is retiring from international duty. “With a European Championship and a World Cup, you can’t ask for more,” he said. The declaration, widely covered in Spanish and German press, adds a layer of finality to a career that has already seen him agree a move to Real Madrid, where José Mourinho will be his new manager. Mourinho, Spanish outlets report, is an admirer of a defender who has never lost a match for Spain in 29 appearances, with only Portugal eliminating La Roja on penalties during his time on the pitch.

Off the pitch, Cucurella’s distinctive curly hair has spawned a cultural ripple. A fan chant born in England during his Chelsea days — “Cucurella, he eats paella, he drinks Estrella, his hair is fuckin’ massive” — was translated into Spanish and went viral during Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph, with the player himself singing it from a table in Berlin’s celebrations. The meme has now been immortalised by Google: searching his name triggers an animation of a curly-haired cat in a Spain shirt waving a flag, a nod to a viral video that users likened to the defender. German outlet Bild described the Easter egg as a “little joke” from the search giant ahead of the final.

On the opposite flank, Pedro Porro has completed a similarly transformative journey. A substitute at the tournament’s outset, the Tottenham right-back seized his chance against Saudi Arabia and has not relinquished it, scoring his first international goal against Austria and being named player of the match in the semi-final after netting the second against France. Spanish media have traced his path from the modest Gimnástico Don Benito, where his grandfather drove him across Extremadura, to the Premier League. The final against Argentina now awaits, a match that will determine not only the world champion but also whether Cucurella’s international career ends at its peak.