3 min readJun 16, 2026 04:02 PM IST Football brings out all sorts of emotions, and a player doesn’t necessarily have to play badly to be booed – by fans of his own team. Just ask Marc Cucurella. Not being able to dispatch World Cup debutants Cape Verde in their tournament opener in Atlanta would have been frustrating, and being continuously jeered by La Roja supporters throughout the game wouldn’t have made the Spanish left-back feel any better, even though he was one of the better performers on the day, being resolute at the back, creating chances and providing an attacking outlet. The special treatment had nothing to do with that game. In fact, the Barcelona fans in the crowd were reacting to, in their book, the ultimate act of ‘treason’ – agreeing to join Real Madrid – for which Cucurella was branded ‘Judas’ overnight. The defender, a product of Barcelona’s academy system, was at the club till 2020, after which he had stints with Getafe and Eibar in Spain before moving to England to …