In an exclusive interview with camel.live, Marc Cucurella discussed the differences between the Premier League and La Liga, as well as why there is such a huge gap in investment between the two leagues.
The summer transfer window has just closed, and the Premier League’s transfer spending is once again five times that of La Liga. Why is that?
I’m not entirely sure, but I think there’s more financial distribution in England. For example, promoted teams receive a lot of funding, which allows all clubs to sign quality players and makes the league more balanced. As a result, every Premier League game is a battle.
Sunderland, who have just been promoted, invested £200 million in players, while Crystal Palace signed top players like Yeremy and Uche from La Liga. This is an issue that needs to be addressed because La Liga is falling behind the Premier League, and that’s why players are flocking to England.
This summer, only two Spanish clubs managed to sign players from the Premier League: Real Madrid signed Heyrison and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Betis signed Antony. Barça also brought in Marcus Rashford, but only on loan…
Barça and Real Madrid are teams capable of competing with Premier League clubs. Their level is very high. When I first arrived in England, my first club was Brighton, and I was surprised to find that English players aspired to play for Real Madrid or Barcelona rather than Arsenal or Chelsea. That’s when I realized the appeal of Real Madrid and Barça—they have a huge global fanbase.
Do you think they can compete with the strength of the Premier League?
Absolutely, 100%. Maybe Real Madrid and Barça don’t have the same financial power as Premier League teams and can’t pay such high salaries, but their history and prestige allow them to attract many top players.
Do you think Real Madrid and Barça can compete in the Champions League this season?
Of course they can—they’re two teams that can reach the latter stages. We’ll face Barça in the group stage in London. It’ll be a game that excites both the fans and me, because I used to play there. I’m looking forward to facing them.
What do you make of the fact that, in the senior national team and the U21 youth team, 22 players called up this time play for clubs outside Spain, with half of them in the Premier League?
I don’t even know how to explain it... When I was at Getafe, a lot of people said to me, “Why go to Brighton? They’re a small club.” In the end, they came in, invested in me, paid to take me there, and offered me a project. As a result, I moved to Chelsea through their strong internal market.
It’s through the same market that Alexander Isak moved from Newcastle to Liverpool for a transfer fee of over €150 million... In the Premier League, you enter a cycle that boosts your professional prestige. Football in England is extremely well-organized, and it has extra advantages in almost every aspect—like playing games over Christmas, on what’s called Boxing Day. That day brings all families together to enjoy a great day of football... There are many little things like that.
What advice do you have for La Liga to improve, such as copying the Boxing Day tradition?
Well, right now, everyone in La Liga might want to kill me for suggesting games on Christmas... I don’t know—I’m just a player who plays in England and has seen how things work there. But it’s also true that financial factors, the salaries paid to players there, play a big role in attracting the best players.
Regarding the 2026 World Cup, in what areas do you think FIFA can improve? Is it possible to play in hot weather like that at the Club World Cup?
It’s complicated. I understand that due to time zone differences, games are sometimes scheduled at times when it’s extremely hot locally, like 3 PM. But I hope improvements can be made for the World Cup, because playing in those conditions is tough—hot weather, dry pitches... I hope things can get better in this regard next summer.
Do you think Spain is a top contender for the World Cup?
Spain will go into the World Cup as one of the top contenders, because we’re the current European champions—we have the quality and the passion. We hope to finish the qualifiers in the best possible way, win the two games this week, and enter the World Cup in good form, just like we did at the European Championship.
