Marc Cucurella binning his boots after his two slips caused Chelsea to fall 2-0 behind in their 4-3 Premier League win at Tottenham could end up costing Puma dearly.

Cucurella had worn a pair of personalised Future 8s during the opening 11 minutes of Sunday’s London derby only to remove them on the sidelines before throwing them away afterwards and posting a picture of them in a bin to Instagram alongside the message: “Sorry Blues.”

The full-back later deleted the post but not before it had been viewed widely, something that has put Puma’s plans for the boots in jeopardy.

The German sportswear giant had only just launched them ahead of the potentially lucrative Christmas period, upon which it was banking after failing to meet expectations with sales during the third quarter of this year.

In an update last month, Puma chief executive Arne Freundt said there had been “very encouraging” demand for the company’s products heading into the final part of 2024.

“Talking to the retailers both in Europe and the US, I think we are quite confident about the demand going into the important shopping season,” he said.

‘It’s pantomime season’

Cucurella’s farcical start to the match and his boots mishap was mocked during Sunday’s live televised game by Sky Sports co-commentator Jamie Carragher.

He said: “Cucurella’s coming to the bench. Don’t blame anyone else – it’s your own fault, son! Absolute schoolboy stuff. Embarrassing.

“He slips again. Look at him shrugging his shoulders. Did he not do a warm-up?”

Lead commentator Peter Drury added: “Well, it’s pantomime season, and like Cinderella, Cucurella needs a slipper that fits!”

The boot switch quickly paid off when Cucurella set up Jadon Sancho to get Chelsea back into the game.

They then ran riot in the second half courtesy of two Cole Palmer penalties either side of a fine Enzo Fernandez goal before Spurs netted a late consolation.