Real Madrid youngster Marc Cucalon, billed as one of the jewels of the club’s youth academy, has cruelly been forced to retire from football at the age of just 19.

Cucalon was recruited from Real Zaragoza as an 11-year-old in 2016, going on to impress staff at Valdebebas and progressing to the Under-19 Juvenil A squad under the leadership of Alvaro Arbeloa.

But, following complications regarding an anterior cruciate ligament tear suffered during a UEFA Youth League win over Celtic in September 2022, the youngster has called time on his career.

Cucalon, who was signed up as an adidas athlete in 2023, announced his decision on social media.

“I arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2016 as a kid with a backpack full of dreams and I was very, very happy,” he explained in an Instagram post.

“And the truth [is] that my life changed completely on 6 September 2022, when I was seriously injured. After several complications, that injury has forced me to make the tough decision to say goodbye to football, at least in the way I had always dreamed of.

“For these past two years I have struggled physically and mentally with all my might and I have tried everything in my power to enjoy this sport again, but it has not been possible to recover from it.

“Don’t get me wrong: this is not a sad farewell at all. After all, I think I have been truly privileged to have been part of the best club in the world and to have lived a dream. I’ve learned and matured as a person and as a player. I carry with me for the rest of my life the values that have been instilled in me and, of course, football has taught me in every triumph and in every defeat: you always have to overcome and keep fighting to overcome obstacles. Those lessons will be part of my life forever.”

READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP