Cucurella opens up: fascinating details from his early days with Real Madrid

What did he find?

Real Madrid wrapped up their pre-season with a convincing win over Schalke, and the match handed Jose Mourinho more than one reason for optimism. Several new arrivals featured, while key men returned to the fold, most notably Jude Bellingham and Thibaut Courtois.

New trio Ibrahima Konate, Marc Cucurella and Amadou Diawara all made their debuts. Cucurella came on in the 61st minute and left a strong impression in his short spell, despite stepping into the game in far from easy circumstances.

Cucurella beamed about his Real Madrid bow afterwards, insisting the team had produced a strong display and landed the ideal result heading into the new campaign.

"I am extremely happy, and I think it was a great match for everyone," he said. "It's an excellent result before the start of the season. The wait has been long, and I am eagerly looking forward to the start of the league."

The Spanish full-back joined up with the squad later than the rest, having contested the World Cup final with his national side before completing his move and opening a new chapter in his career. He views it as the reward for years of graft.

"There is a lot of hard work behind all this, and all the effort put in over these years was worth every bit of the trouble," Cucurella said of the journey. His teammates, he confirmed, had helped him settle into the group quickly.

Madrid's players welcomed him and the other new signings in a special way, the full-back added. "They are all wonderful, and they made it easy for everyone to join the team." He then sent a message to the club's supporters, revealing he had been flooded with messages since signing and vowing to give everything for the royal shirt.