- Marc Cucurella is an ambassador for German sportswear company Puma
- He wore their new boots on Sunday but slipped over twice and replaced them
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Marc Cucurella‘s costly slips in Chelsea‘s London derby with Tottenham on Sunday looks set to be a marketing disaster for Puma and their new £220 boots.
Puma had launched their next-gen Future 8 boots in time for Christmas, and their big-money ambassador Cucurella wore them at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after previously trying them out in training.
But the full back endured a disastrous start to the match as he slipped over twice and was punished on both occasions as Tottenham raced into a 2-0 lead.
After the second slip, Cucurella ran over the to the touchline and changed into a different pair of Puma boots.
Chelsea managed to stage a stirring comeback as they came from behind to win 4-3, but Cucurella was still thinking about his mistakes after the game as he posted a photo on his Instagram story of the new Puma boots in the bin alongside the message ‘Sorry Blues’.
He has since deleted the photo, but it was seen all across social media before being taken down, and may now leave fans thinking twice about buying their own pair of the Puma boots.
Puma have been promoting their new £220 boots (pictured) as part of a Christmas campaign
Marc Cucurella wore them on Sunday but slipped over twice and had to change his footwear
He then posted a picture of the boots in the bin in a disastrous marketing move for Puma
The German sportswear company is already under pressure after failing to meet expectations with third-quarter sales.
Puma CEO Arne Freundt delivered a positive update last month as he insisted that there had been ‘very encouraging’ demand for the company’s products heading into the final part of 2024.
‘Talking to the retailers both in Europe and the U.S., I think we are quite confident about the demand going into the important shopping season,’ he said.
However, Cucurella’s struggles in front of an audience of millions will not have helped Puma’s cause.
The boots were advertised as specialising in three features – adaptability, movement and control.
But Cucurella did not display any of those attributes in a torrid opening to Sunday’s match.
His first error came after just five minutes when his slip handed the ball to Brennan Johnson who raced past him before squaring the ball for Dominic Solanke to tap home.
Six minutes later, Cucurella fell to the floor again and waved his arm in frustration as the loose ball was picked up by Dejan Kulusevski.
The Swedish midfielder then cut inside and picked out the bottom corner, with Cucurella immediately making his way to the touchline to switch footwear.
Sky Sports co-commentator Jamie Carragher slammed Cucurella for wearing the boots in the first place as he questioned why he had not spotted the issue in the warm-up.
‘Cucurella’s coming to the bench, don’t blame anyone else – it’s your own fault, son!’ Carragher said.
‘Absolute schoolboy stuff. Embarrassing.
Cucurella’s slips cost Chelsea twice, with Brennan Johnson racing past him to set up Tottenham’s opening goal
Cucurella was indebted to Cole Palmer as the England star scored two second-half penalties to turn the match in Chelsea’s favour
‘He slips again. Look at him shrugging his shoulders. Did he not do a warm-up?’
Lead commentator Peter Drury added: ‘Well, it’s pantomime season, and like Cinderella, Cucurella needs a slipper that fits!’
The boots switch did the trick for the Spaniard, as he went on to play the pass for Jadon Sancho’s goal to get Chelsea back into the game.
The Blues then ramped up the pressure after the break and turned the match in their favour thanks to a pair of Cole Palmer penalties either side of a fine Enzo Fernandez strike.
Son Heung-min pulled a goal back late on for Spurs, but it wasn’t enough as Cucurella and Co. held on for all three points to send Chelsea into second place.