World Cup 2026

Cucurella fulfills his World Cup promise: The Spain superstar shows off his new tatoo on Instagram

The Spain and Real Madrid star has finally gone through with the vow he made before the World Cup final, showing off the design on Instagram.

The Spain and Real Madrid star has finally gone through with the vow he made before the World Cup final, showing off the design on Instagram.
David Nelson
Director AS USA
Scottish journalist and lifelong sports fan who grew up in Edinburgh playing and following football (soccer), cricket, tennis, golf, hockey… Joined Diario AS in 2012, becoming Director of AS USA in 2016 where he leads teams covering soccer, American sports (particularly NFL, NBA and MLB) and all the biggest news from around the world of sport.
Update:

Marc Cucurella has officially kept one of the most memorable promises of Spain’s World Cup-winning campaign.

The Real Madrid defender revealed on Instagram that he has gone through with his pledge to tattoo Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente on his body after La Roja lifted the World Cup, posting photos of the finished artwork alongside celebrity tattoo artist Ganga.

Cucurella’s promise was made before the World Cup had even started. If Spain won the World Cup, he would have De la Fuente’s face tattooed on his body. After Spain’s 1-0 victory over Argentina in New York, he immediately confirmed he would honor the pledge, even asking fans for suggestions on where the tattoo should go.

Now he has followed through.

The design, created by renowned tattoo artist Ganga, depicts De la Fuente holding the World Cup trophy with the tournament logo in the background. Ganga is one of the world’s best-known tattoo artists and has worked with stars including LeBron James and Carlos Alcaraz. The tattoo is in a clearly visible location, despite Cucurella initially joking that he might hide it.

The left back captioned his Instagram post simply: “Promise kept.”

Cucurella fulfills his World Cup promise: The Spain superstar shows off his new tatoo on Instagram
Cucurella's tattoo of Luis de la FuenteCaptura

Cucurella’s fine World Cup

Cucurella was one of Spain’s standout performers throughout the tournament, playing a key role as Luis de la Fuente’s side won the country’s second World Cup. His performances capped a remarkable summer that also included his high-profile move from Chelsea to Real Madrid.

Not every World Cup promise has been honored, however.

Final hero Ferran Torres had vowed to shave his head if Spain became world champions, but has since laughed off the idea. During the team’s reception at the Royal Palace, Princess Leonor even asked whether he planned to go through with it, only for Torres to smile and reply, “No, no.”

Cucurella, though, has proved he was serious all along. As De la Fuente joked after the final, “When you say something, you have to keep your word.”

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