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Marc Cucurella Makes Good on World Cup Tattoo Vow—Now All Eyes Turn to Lamine Yamal
"If Spain lifts the World Cup," Marc Cucurella announced ahead of his country's opening group stage match of the summer, "I'll get a tattoo of Luis de la Fuente's face."
When the defending European champions kicked off their bid for world glory with a scoreless stalemate against first-time tournament participant Cabo Verde, Cucurella's pledge felt like a remote possibility. Yet Spain steadily hit its stride—and the rest of the world quickly learned that Cabo Verde was no easy opponent—as the side embarked on a composed run through the World Cup.
Conceding only a single goal throughout the campaign, Spain ultimately edged past Argentina in a hard-fought final to claim the nation's second-ever men's world title. It was a moment of jubilant celebration and, for De la Fuente, one of quiet reflection.
"I'm a bit old for tattoos," Spain's triumphant head coach chuckled, a winners' medal hanging from his neck. "My players are men of their word and I know they'll honor it. They made a commitment and they'll see it through. I'm not so dreadful-looking that they'd need to hide it somewhere out of sight."
Never one to back down from a dare, Real Madrid's new left back promptly made good on his pledge.
Promesa cumplida 🤝 pic.twitter.com/Ugvv6VHszO
Cucurella chose the back of his left arm—a decision driven more by available canvas than any reluctance to display De la Fuente's likeness, given how much of his skin is already covered in existing tattoos.
However, he wasn't the only member of the Spain squad to have made a pre-World Cup pledge.
Lamine Yamal Not Living Up to His World Cup Promise—Yet
Such is the boundless self-belief of Lamine Yamal that he was already thinking about what promises to make should he return from his first World Cup as a champion. As with so many other facets of his rapidly developing career, the Barcelona sensation had no shortage of confidence to back it up.
Before the tournament got underway, Yamal pondered potential personal challenges in the event of World Cup success on his own YouTube channel. "I promise that if I win the World Cup, I'll grow a full beard and moustache for..." he began, at which point the camera operator suggested 'one year.' "A whole year?!" Yamal laughed. "Three weeks."
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Given the complete absence of any facial hair growth visible across Yamal's various social media posts during the first two weeks of World Cup festivities, it seems he may have forgotten about this particular vow. Or, at just 19 years old, he's simply at the mercy of his age.
Yamal also dangled a more concrete reward for his supporters: "I promise that if I win the World Cup, I'll raffle 100 Beats [by Dre headphones]." This too has yet to materialize, though it may still be forthcoming. After a demanding club season and the immense effort required to claim soccer's ultimate prize, the teenager could hardly be blamed for overlooking—or postponing—an offhand remark made nearly two months prior.