“He’s not quick, he’s not strong. All those things we measure with all those machines we have, he doesn’t register on any of them; you would never sign him,” José Luis Mendilibar said. “But he’s a footballer.”
It was autumn 2018 and the Eibar manager had been asked about the 20-year-old who had taken Real Madrid apart, providing the passes for all three goals in their first win against the European champions. His name was Marc Cucurella and the coach was right: most clubs would not sign him back then.
