La Liga 2019-20: 5 contenders for signing of the season

#3 Marc Cucurella (Barcelona to Getafe, loan)

Cucurella has been an important part of Getafe's success this season.

A product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, Cucurella came through the ranks as a left-back of some promise but made just one first-team appearance for the Blaugrana. The vast majority of his top-flight football experience comes from loan spells - he spent the 2018-19 season on loan at Eibar, where his promising displays prompted Barca to trigger their buy-back option.

Cucurella is still on the books of the Catalan giants but is spending the 2019-20 season on loan again, this time at high-flying Getafe, who have an option to make the move permanent for €6m in summer with Barca retaining a 40% clause to buy him back permanently.

The floppy-haired defender has been an integral part of the Madrid-based club’s incredibly successful season, playing virtually every minute of their La Liga campaign as they challenge for a spot in next season’s Champions League.

In 26 league appearances this season, Cucurella has contributed one goal and five assists while being deployed at left-back or further up the pitch in left midfield. He has also been instrumental in his side’s memorable Europa League journey, wherein they knocked out last season’s semi-finalists, Ajax in the round of 32 and were rewarded with a tie against European heavyweights Inter Milan in the round of 16.

About the author

Vaibhav is a European and international football journalist who writes post-match articles for Sportskeeda. A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, he boasts a total experience of 6 years and has worked for reputed websites such as Times Internet and Men's Health India.

Vaibhav's journey as a football fan began after he was left impressed by the fast-paced action and the gripping storylines of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He admires Kaka's elegance and determination, while his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scotsman's decision-making, vision and man-management abilities. He is also a passionate Manchester United supporter, and believes that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could create a historic rivalry similar to the Ronaldo-Messi one.

Vaibhav always cross-checks his information from a number of trustworthy websites and relies on his creative writing skills to produce compelling content. His exploits in journalism have led him to interviewing Indian footballers Robin Singh and Eugeneson Lyngdoh in his career so far.

Vaibhav’s favorite FIFA World Cup moment is Andres Iniesta's tribute to Daniel Jarque in the final of the 2010 edition. When not writing, he likes to read murder mysteries and watch stand-up comedy.

Know More

Edited by A. Ayush Chatterjee