Over the past few weeks, we have already highlighted how many former Otten (Innovation) Cup participants were in action at this summer's World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States. We also came across three more familiar names in the squad of world champions Spain who once took to the pitch at PSV Campus De Herdgang. Meet Alejandro Grimaldo, Marcos Llorente and Marc Cucurella.
Alejandro Grimaldo (FC Barcelona – Otten Cup 2011)
Alejandro Grimaldo represented FC Barcelona at the Otten Cup in 2011. Just a few weeks later, he made history by becoming the youngest player ever to make his debut for Barcelona B in the Segunda División A. Like at the Otten Cup, he was still under 16 years old at the time.
Due in part to a serious knee injury, Grimaldo ultimately failed to break into the FC Barcelona first team. A move to Benfica proved to be the turning point in his career. Over seven seasons, he established himself as a regular, making almost 200 competitive appearances. He then moved to Bayer Leverkusen, where he developed into one of the Bundesliga's standout attacking wing-backs. His impressive performances earned him a move to Atlético Madrid this summer, where, at the age of 30, he will finally make his La Liga debut.
Grimaldo has so far earned 14 caps for Spain. He was part of the squad at the World Cup but did not make an appearance.
Marcos Llorente (Real Madrid – Otten Cup 2013)
Marcos Llorente took part in the 2013 anniversary edition of the Otten Cup, which saw all of PSV's opponents from their legendary 1987/88 European Cup campaign invited to the tournament. The midfielder scored in the semi-final against Benfica, helping Real Madrid reach the final. In the mini-Clásico against FC Barcelona, Real ultimately came out on top.
After coming through the Real Madrid academy, Llorente first made his debut for Real Madrid Castilla under Zinedine Zidane, before making his first official appearance for the senior side in 2015. Following a successful loan spell at Deportivo Alavés, he moved across Madrid to Atlético Madrid in 2019. There, he developed into one of the key players in the side that won the La Liga title in 2020/21. He has now made more than 300 appearances for Atlético, where he will become Grimaldo's team-mate next season.
Llorente made his Spain debut in 2020. At the World Cup, he featured in three matches and provided the assist for the winning goal against Uruguay in the group stage. He has now earned 27 international caps.
Marc Cucurella (FC Barcelona – Otten Cup 2015)
Marc Cucurella represented FC Barcelona at the 2015 Otten Cup. He featured in the final, in which PSV defeated the Catalan side 4-0. That Cucurella was already a player who never shied away from a challenge was evident from the three yellow cards he picked up during the tournament.
After spells with FC Barcelona B and loan moves to SD Eibar and Getafe, the left-back worked his way up to the Premier League, where he first played for Brighton & Hove Albion and then Chelsea. After three seasons in London, he is moving to Real Madrid this summer. He had previously won an Olympic silver medal with Spain at the Tokyo Games, and made his debut for the Spanish national team in 2024.
At the World Cup, Cucurella was a regular in the side that ultimately became world champions. He featured in all eight matches, making an important contribution to Spain's World Cup triumph.
An impressive list
With Grimaldo, Llorente and Cucurella added to the list, the total number of players who have both taken part in the Otten (Innovation) Cup and featured at this summer's World Cup now stands at an impressive 32 internationals from 14 different countries. It is further confirmation of the international stage that the Otten Innovation Cup has provided for the stars of tomorrow for decades.
Curious to see which young talents will take the next step? Then visit PSV Campus De Herdgang on Friday 14, Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August for the 76th edition of the Otten Innovation Cup.