A tackle more than two years ago put an end to his dreams of a successful career. Marc Cucalon, a young midfielder from Real Madrid’s academy, posted a long and emotional message on his Instagram account on Tuesday, announcing his heartbreaking decision to put away his boots at just 19 years old. Everything stopped on September 6, 2022, during a Youth League match for Real Madrid against Celtic Glasgow (0-6). Following a tackle from an opponent, Cucalon suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. A relatively common injury in football, it usually allows a return in around nine months.
However, bacteria contracted during the operation led to an infection in the knee, affecting the cartilage in the joint. After months of struggle, he finally gave in to the pain. “After several complications, this injury forced me to make the difficult decision to say goodbye to football, at least as I had always dreamed of it,” he wrote on Instagram. “Over the past two years, I have fought physically and mentally with all my strength and tried everything in my power to rediscover the pleasure of this sport, but it has been impossible for me to recover. But don’t worry. Make no mistake: this is not at all a sad farewell.”
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“After all, I think I was lucky to belong to the best club in the world and to have lived a dream,” he continued. “I have learned and matured as a person and as a player. I will carry with me throughout my life the values that were instilled in me and, of course, the lessons that football has taught me in every victory and every defeat: you must always continue to fight to overcome obstacles. These lessons will be part of my life forever.”
“Now I am opening a new chapter, a new life in which I am sure to apply all the experiences that have shaped me until today,” he added. “And I do it with the same enthusiasm and motivation with which I have worn the Real Madrid jersey all these years. Because with this club I want to conclude this message of gratitude: thank you, Real Madrid, for not never let go of my hand. And thank you to everyone who has supported me from the very beginning.”
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Several members of the club paid tribute to him on social networks, including Alvaro Arbeloa, a former player who coached Marc Cucalon with the reserve team. “You have no idea how many times this match comes to mind,” he wrote. “It’s difficult for me not to think of the immense player you were going to become (and that you already were), but you always have to look to the future. You know better than anyone, you deserve the best, Marc, we will be always there for whatever you need.”
