Marc Cucurella reflects on failed Barcelona breakthrough

Brighton left-back Marc Cucurella has confessed that his attempted breakthrough at Barcelona may have come at the wrong time.

Cucurella was one of the hottest prospects in Spain when he was a teenager, but he managed just one appearance for Barcelona's senior side - seven minutes at the end of a Copa del Rey tie against Real Murcia in late 2017 - and ended up having to impress away from the club on loan.

A solid spell with Eibar saw Cucurella return to Camp Nou in 2019, albeit only temporarily as he was again shipped out to Getafe, who bought him permanently and helped him improve and earn a switch to Brighton during the summer.

Still seen as one of Spain's most exciting left-backs, Cucurella admitted to El Larguero that he understands why he did not play much for Barcelona.

"I understand that at Barça the only thing that matters is winning," he said. "That was my time but they had a great team, maybe that's why they didn't give me the opportunity.

"They wanted the immediate results, and getting that with a youth squad is difficult.

"I don't regret my time at Barcelona, because otherwise I wouldn't be where I am. I didn't get that opportunity [to play], that door was closed for me but others were opened for me."

There are a lot of young players making an impact at Barcelona now, with the likes of Gavi and Nico shining under Xavi, and Cucurella insisted he does not feel any frustration watching them doing what he could not.

"No, there's no anger, because everyone there were my teammates," he said. "I saw Gavi in the dining room, Nico too. I'm happy for them because we were all playing for the same cause - to play in the first team."