New Delhi: Chelsea travelled across London to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium to take on their London rivals on Sunday evening. The game turned out to be a thoroughly exciting affair as a seven goal thriller split between the two sides as the Blues won 4-3 on the night despite going 2-0 down in the first 11 minutes of the game. Those goals however, proved to be more costly for German sportswear giants Puma, than they did for Chelsea.
Puma’s latest high-profile launch of their next-gen Future 8 boots turned into a nightmare after Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella abandoned the £220 footwear during Sunday’s London derby against Tottenham Hotspur. Chelsea dominated the early proceedings of the game but Spurs managed to go 2-0 up after they capitalized on two vital slips from Cucurella. The Spaniard’s costly slips gifted Spurs two early goals, sparking a debate over the boots’ performance and causing a major public relations headache for the German sportswear giant.
The highly anticipated boots were advertised as a pinnacle of adaptability, movement, and control—qualities that seemed absent during Cucurella’s turbulent opening minutes. The incident is now being seen as a damaging episode for Puma, potentially undermining consumer trust at a crucial time in the holiday shopping season. The event was highlighted as right after Spurs scored the second goal, Cucurella rushed to the sidelines to change into his old Puma boots and had a solid game since that point, even getting the assist for Chelsea’s opener.
Marketing Disaster for Puma
Puma had invested heavily in promoting the Future 8 boots as a game-changer, using Cucurella as one of their marquee ambassadors. The timing was strategic, aligning with the festive season to boost sales and choosing a big game to debut them on the field. However, the boots failed to deliver on their promise of adaptability and performance under high-pressure conditions, with Cucurella’s slips providing very public evidence of potential flaws.
The fallout was swift. Cucurella’s Instagram story—featuring the boots discarded in a bin with the caption “Sorry Blues”—circulated widely on social media before being deleted. The damage, however, had been done. Fans and commentators were quick to criticize the boots, questioning their quality and suitability for professional football. While fans were even questioning the price of the boots being too high, the fact that Cucurella decided to bin them off after just 10 minutes only added to the doubts.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher labeled the incident “embarrassing,” calling out Cucurella for not addressing potential issues during the warm-up. Meanwhile, Peter Drury quipped, “It’s pantomime season, and like Cinderella, Cucurella needs a slipper that fits!” Such high-profile ridicule further amplified the scrutiny on Puma’s product. This isn’t the first time that the Spaniard faced problems with Puma’s boots as last season he boots completely torn off right in the middle of a game, causing him to finish the game with two different boots in each foot.
🚨 BREAKING: Puma faces trouble after Marc Cucurella wore their new £220 boots against Tottenham but switched to another pair.
The boots were marketed for adaptability, movement, and control, but Cucurella didn’t show these features. [@MailSport] pic.twitter.com/V2dhillhEZ
— Football View Hub (@FootballViewHub) December 11, 2024
The incident comes at a challenging time for Puma. Despite CEO Arne Freundt’s optimistic outlook on the brand’s market performance heading into the year’s final quarter, the debacle may dampen consumer confidence. The boots, priced at a premium £220, were marketed as elite footwear capable of elevating player performance. Instead, they are now associated with two high-profile blunders in front of a global audience.
While Chelsea’s eventual victory spared Cucurella from further embarrassment, the damage to Puma’s reputation may linger. As the brand strategizes its next steps, the incident serves as a reminder of the fine line between marketing hype and delivering reliable performance. While it remains to be seen what effect this incident will have on the sales in the long run, it’s safe to say that the debut launch of these boots did not go as everyone had hoped.
Spurs’ Strong Start, Chelsea’s Epic Comeback
Tottenham capitalized early on Cucurella’s struggles, racing to a 2-0 lead within the first 11 minutes. The defender’s first slip occurred just five minutes in, handing the ball to Spurs’ Brennan Johnson, who breezed past him to assist Dominic Solanke for an easy finish. A second misstep came shortly after, with Cucurella losing his footing once again, allowing Dejan Kulusevski to pick up the ball, cut inside, and curl a precise shot into the bottom corner. The Spaniard’s frustration was palpable as he quickly swapped the Puma boots for another pair on the touchline.
However, Chelsea refused to back down. They clawed their way back into the game thanks to a Jadon Sancho strike initiated by Cucurella himself, followed by two Cole Palmer penalties and an Enzo Fernandez goal. Spurs managed a late response through Son Heung-min, but it wasn’t enough as Chelsea secured a 4-3 victory. Despite the win, Cucurella’s opening errors dominated the narrative, with much of the blame shifting toward Puma’s new footwear.
Chelsea emerged 4-3 winners over rivals Tottenham in a seven goal thriller but not before Spurs took a 2-0 lead early in the game. Dive in to find out how these goals led to a marketing disaster for footwear giants Puma. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
