Chelsea fans have given Gary Neville a cruel new nickname after he was proved wrong by one of the stars of Euro 2024.
Spain have been one of the best sides at the tournament so far, becoming the first team to secure top spot in their group with wins against Croatia and Italy.
Perhaps surprisingly for regular viewers of the Premier League, Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella has been one of La Roja's key performers.
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Cucurella established himself as a top player at Brighton, but he has failed to convince since making a £60 million move to Chelsea in 2022.
The 25-year-old's performances at Stamford Bridge have been so inconsistent that Neville identified his selection at left-back as a reason why Spain might struggle to win the tournament.
Speaking ahead of Spain’s opening match against Croatia after Cucurella was named in the XI, Neville said on ITV: "I didn’t think he would play.
"He’s not been convincing at Chelsea, he’s played a few games towards the end of the season.
"He’s aggressive, he’s tenacious, he’s a busy little full back, that price tag still astounds everybody, I think, still to this day.
"I think he’s one of the reasons we think Spain probably can’t go all the way."
after Cucurella impressed in Spain's opening two matches, Chelsea fans have started calling Neville 'Gary Clownville' on social media.
After Neville's comments circulated following Spain's 1-0 win against Italy on Thursday, one fan commented: "Cucurella looks more like a reason that Spain will win the Euros."
Another wrote: "Shut the f*** up Gary. Imagine singling out a player that by all means had a decent season when called upon and then saying an entire nation will not go far because of that player."
A third fan added: "Who would take Gary quotes seriously? He is a failed manager. [Became a] pundit and then tells managers what to do in difficult situations."
One Chelsea fan leapt to Cucurella's defence, writing: "Cucurella had a few iffy performances early on with us.
"Club was all over the shop anyway and his wife was pregnant with their third child so that probably had a reasonable impact.
"People like Neville still s*** on him. I think he’s actually pretty [well] regarded now amongst the majority of our fanbase."
Topics: Chelsea, Euro 2024, Gary Neville, Marc Cucurella, Spain, Transfer News
Alex Brotherton