The 23-year-old came through the ranks of Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth academy. He made just one appearance for the senior team during his time at the club. After loan stints away at SD Eibar and Getafe, he joined the latter permanently in 2020.
A year later, he was signed by Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, where Cucurella has impressed. However, the Spanish international has now claimed that he has unfinished business at Barcelona and would want to return to the club someday.
“When I left Barça I was left with a thorn; they didn’t give me the opportunity and they never explained why. If the opportunity to come back was given, it would be special, I would remove that thorn,” he said.
Another former Barcelona player, Gerard Deulofeu, appeared on Gerard Romero’s Twitch earlier this week and opened up on his experience playing for the Catalan club.
Deulofeu, like Cucurella, was a product of the Blaugrana’s youth setup and was tipped for a bright future. However, things did not work out for him and the winger spent time away on loan at Everton and Sevilla, before joining the former permanently.
The Spaniard then had a stint at AC Milan before returning to Barcelona in 2017. But his second stint at the club also failed to take off and he ended up moving to Watford. Currently plying his trade with Udinese, Deulofeu explained why things went wrong for him at Camp Nou.
“When I came back to Barcelona from Milan, I expected to stay a long time. They promised me things that weren’t fulfilled, like a long-term contract, for example; they didn’t have patience and it hurt,” he said.
The 27-year-old also praised current first-team manager Xavi Hernandez, saying: “During my time at Barça, Xavi was one of the players who took the most care of me. I like the future that is coming in Barcelona. I like Xavi as coach, Laporta as president… the players who have joined will bring joy in what is to come.”
