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Spain midfielder Marc Cucurella, who set up Mikel Oyarzabal’s late winner against England in the Euro 2024 final, is hoping his lucky charm – a pyjama top worn by his wife during that European triumph – will bring him similar good fortune at the World Cup.
The 27-year-old Chelsea player’s luck certainly favoured him throughout Euro 2024.
A crucial moment saw no penalty given when the ball struck his hand in the box during extra time in the quarter-final against Germany, with Spain scoring the winner in the 119th minute.
Spain then went on to beat France in the semi-finals and England in the final to lift the European Championship trophy in Berlin.
Now, Cucurella is hoping for more good fortune when Spain’s World Cup campaign gets underway.
“I’ve got some key-rings that my children made for me,” Cucurella told Marca in an interview published on Saturday. “I’m also taking my wife’s pyjama top, which she wore when she was with me during the European Championship, and I’ve packed it in my suitcase again to see if it brings the same luck.”
Lucky charms are not uncommon among footballers.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi famously wears a red ribbon around his left ankle during World Cups, while Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, playing in a record sixth tournament alongside Messi, carries an old coin given to him by his grandfather.
Spain will begin their Group H World Cup campaign against Cape Verde on Monday in Atlanta.
They are then due to face Saudi Arabia before concluding their group stage campaign by playing Uruguay.
Spain won the World Cup for the first and only time in their history back in 2010, beating the Netherlands after extra time in the final.
However, they have been unable to reach the latter stages of the tournament at the last three editions of the World Cup.
They were surprisingly knocked out at the group stage in 2014, and then exited the competition in the round of 16 in 2018 and 2022.
They will hope to go much further this time around, but are sweating on the fitness of Lamine Yamal ahead of their opening game.
