Marc Cucurella is no longer an undisputed personality, at least since the European Football Championship in Germany. His handball during Spain's quarter-final victory over Germany is particularly memorable among the host nation's fans - as is some of the provocation that followed. But now the European champion has shown his vulnerable side.

"It's difficult. Nobody teaches you how to be a parent, but in the end you have to learn," the 26-year-old told "La Media Inglesa". Cucurella and his partner Claudia Rodriguez have three children together. In 2022, the couple learned of their eldest son's autism diagnosis. 

"It hits you hard"
"An autistic child doesn't understand things like his siblings, you have to learn to understand him," explains the Spaniard, emphasizing: "It affects him a lot, you don't know how to help him. He didn't do well at regular school, he got restless, he wasn't happy. He didn't fit in and cried all the time. That hits you hard: you see your child suffering and you don't know how to help him."

But the family grows together and is happy about all the progress they make together, as Cucurella explains. "There is a flip side to the coin. Everything gets harder, everything gets more difficult. But there is also a good side. When you achieve something, take a small step forward, you're much happier." 

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