Real Madrid academy midfielder Marc Cucalón announced his retirement from football at just 19 years old after suffering a serious injury over the past two years.
Marc Cucalón has spent 796 days fighting to overcome a rare bacteria infection he had when undergoing surgery for an ACL tear sustained during a UEFA Youth League game in 2022.
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Marc Cucalón retires at 19
In his retirement message, Marc Cucalón writes:
I didn’t know how to start this letter. So I’ll do it by saying THANK YOU to everyone. From the heart. For all the support you have given me during this time. I arrived at the Real Madrid academy in the summer of 2016 as a kid with a backpack full of dreams and I was very, very happy. And the truth that my life changed completely on September 6, 2022, when I was seriously injured in a Youth League game.
After several complications, that injury has forced me to make the tough decision to say GOODBYE to football, at least in the way I had always dreamed of.
For these past two years I have struggled physically and mentally with all my might and I have tried everything in my power to enjoy this sport again, but it has not been possible to recover.
Don’t get me wrong: this is not a sad farewell at all.
After all, I think I have been truly privileged to have been part of the best club in the world and to have lived a dream. I’ve learned and matured as a person and as a player. I carry with me for the rest of my life the values that have been instilled in me and, of course, football has taught me in every triumph and in every defeat: you always have to overcome and keep fighting to overcome obstacles. Those lessons will be part of my life forever.
It is time to look back and be thankful for all the people who have been beside me on this journey.
Endless thanks to my family. Thanks to my parents, who have always supported me in every decision and every stone along the way. It’s true that leaving home to fulfill my dream was difficult. But seeing their faces of happiness when they saw me enjoying on the playground became my greatest pride. Thanks also to my friends, the unconditional ones who have never failed me.
Cucalón hasn’t play a game since he was 16 and will not play at the professional level following his retirement. Such a sad ending for the Spaniard.
