CORNERFLICK
Marc Cucurella heads into Sunday’s World Cup final with a rare edge over the rest of Spain’s squad: he has already lifted a trophy at MetLife Stadium.
The left-back won the Club World Cup there with Chelsea a year ago and now returns to New Jersey hoping for another celebration, this time with La Roja. He has been one of Spain’s most consistent players at the 2026 World Cup, and he is the only member of the squad with experience of winning a global final at the venue.
The setting should feel familiar in more ways than one. The trophy presentation is expected to follow a similar script, with Donald Trump again due to hand over the trophy if nothing changes on the day.
Cucurella previously recalled the awkward Chelsea ceremony, saying players had been told to wait for Trump to step down before lifting the cup, only for him to remain on stage. Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in that final, becoming the first winners of the revamped Club World Cup.