"The wounds of the past have not yet healed": the reason behind Cucurella being jeered at the Bernabeu
Real Madrid crush Leipzig
A Spanish press report has revealed the secret behind the jeers that followed Real Madrid player Marc Cucurella during his side's match tonight against Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League.
Los Blancos cruised to a comfortable 4-1 win over their guests Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening, in the third round of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.
According to "Marca", confusion reigned at the Bernabeu after Cucurella replaced Carreras in the 70th minute.
Every time the left-back touched the ball, jeers erupted in the stands. What looked like an absurd and baffling scene at Real Madrid's own stadium concealed a strange truth and a deep-seated resentment.
Real Madrid's security plan had anticipated around two thousand German supporters in the upper northern stand. The reality in the stands told a completely different story.
Hundreds of German fans had exploited the unofficial ticket market and other channels to slip quietly into every part of the stadium, blending in with the Real Madrid faithful.
Scattered throughout the ground, they created the eerie impression that the jeers were not coming from a single source but echoing loudly from every corner of the Santiago Bernabeu.
Many assumed it was the Real Madrid fans jeering Cucurella. Once this information emerged, it became clear the source was the Leipzig supporters.
The German fans had neither forgotten nor forgiven what happened in the quarter-final of Euro 2024. During the tense period of extra time, Musiala's shot struck Cucurella's hand.
Neither the referee nor the video assistant referee awarded a penalty, and Spain advanced to the semi-finals. To make matters worse, UEFA itself officially admitted months later that the incident warranted a spot-kick.
The noise from the infiltrators caught the stadium off guard in the opening minutes. Soon enough, the patience of the Real Madrid fans ran out.
Realising the strange trap Cucurella had fallen into, the rest of the Bernabeu crowd rallied around their player, trying to ease the hostile atmosphere by applauding every time he touched the ball.
