“I’ll tell you a secret”: why Spaniard Marc Cucurella buried a coin in the pitch before the World Cup final

From one Spanish world champion full-back to another. Marc Cucurella, a major element of the title won by La Roja at the 2026 World Cup, followed the advice of Joan Capdevila, crowned in 2010. Before the final won after a tense overtime against Argentina (1-0), the new Real Madrid player buried a coin in the lawn of MetLife Stadium in New York, scene of the meeting.

An absolutely not insignificant gesture, since the former left defender had made it before the start of “his” World Cup final against the Netherlands during the South African World Cup. Chance or destiny: at the time, Spain had won its first star by winning with the same score as this Sunday July 19, 1 to 0 after extra time.

“Marc, I love you very much”

Capdevila revealed it this Monday on social networks, publishing the video of his compatriot placing the coin under the lawn. “I’m going to tell you a secret. In 2010, I buried a coin in the grass before starting the match,” confided the man with 60 caps for La Roja. “I asked Cucurella to do the same thing yesterday (Sunday). Mark, I love you very much. You are world champion! »

Tradition respected for an equivalent result, therefore. In the process, the former Chelsea full-back shared his predecessor’s post, adding an emoji representing two hands shaking, accompanied by the two years of Spain’s coronation: 2010 and 2026.

In 2010, Capdevila played all 120 minutes of the final against the Netherlands. He returned to the news at the end of last week, when he questioned Donald Trump after being deprived of travel authorization. Wishing to attend the grand final, he finally obtained his visa in time to be able to experience the Spanish victory from the inside.