Chelsea star Marc Cucurella has opened up on his son’s autism and the challenges that it poses in everyday life.
Cucurella, 26, has enjoyed an impressive 12 months, winning Euro 2024 with Spain while the defender has also developed into a crucial player for Chelsea under Enzo Maresca.
The Spaniard, who came through the ranks at Barcelona before shining for Getafe and then Brighton, has three children with his partner Claudia Rodriguez: Mateo, Rio and Claudia.
Cucurella has previously revealed how the eldest Mateo has autism, and in a heartfelt interview on the La Media Inglesa channel, the 26-year-old reflected on his son’s diagnosis and how the family deal with the situation.
‘At Brighton he was still small,’ Cucurella said. ‘The doctor didn’t tell us what he had, he was still too young to know.
‘It’s difficult. Nobody teaches you how to be a parent, but in the end you see.
‘An autistic child doesn’t understand things like his siblings, you have to learn to understand him.
‘It affects him a lot, you don’t see him well and you don’t know how to help him. He didn’t do well at regular school, he got upset, he wasn’t happy. He didn’t adapt, he stayed crying all the time.
‘He would spend two or three hours and he didn’t like it, we had to go and get him. That also affects you a lot, you don’t see your child well and you don’t know how to help him.’
Cucurella and Rodriguez found out that Mateo was autistic shortly after the left back joined Chelsea for £65million in the summer of 2022.
However, the Spaniard endured a difficult start to his time at Stamford Bridge, where he struggled for gametime and also faced questions about the price tag on his head.
And Cucurella opened up on how he had to dig deep to overcome the challenges in both his professional and private life.
‘Football wasn’t going well,’ he added. ‘We couldn’t find a way to help him until we found another school in London and we’ve improved a lot.
‘They help us there, we have talks, you learn how to handle it and you understand it. He makes himself understood, but you need to get to know him.’
Despite the adversity, Cucurella went onto highlight the satisfaction he feels when he sees Mateo progressing.
He explained: ‘There is a downside. Everything is harder, everything is more difficult.
‘But there is also a good side. When you achieve something, a simple step forward, it gives much more satisfaction.’
Cucurella, who has played 25 times for Chelsea this season, returns to action on Monday when the Blues entertain West Ham in the Premier League.
