When Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente announced his World Cup squad back on May 25, it immediately sparked a heated debate at Real Madrid.There were eight players from Barcelona in the 26-strong group, with several other domestic sides represented too, including Atletico Madrid, Athletic Club, Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo and Osasuna.For the first time, not a single Real Madrid player was included.There was no room for Dani Carvajal (who is leaving Madrid at the end of June) Alvaro Carreras nor Dean Huijsen — though 22-year-old back-up striker Gonzalo Garcia was called up for Spain’s World Cup warm-up friendlies.The fact Madrid were not going to be represented became a huge talking point, with the situation amplified by the club’s presidential election campaign.Florentino Perez’s challenger, 37-year-old businessman Enrique Riquelme, promised to sign “Madrid stars who can make Spaniards proud” if he was voted in, repeatedly criticising his rival over the issue. Perez, who won the June 7 election with a 65 per cent share, did not address the topic publicly.Perhaps the 79-year-old always had a plan. With the €60million (£51.9m; $69.6m) signing of Marc Cucurella from Chelsea confirmed in the build-up to Spain’s 0-0 draw against Cape Verde on Monday, Madrid do now have a Spanish World Cup star. The 27-year-old is De la Fuente’s favoured option at left-back, and he is expected to compete with Carreras for a starting spot at the Bernabeu next term.But it is interesting to look back on the controversy that swelled up, because it illustrates something instructive about Madrid’s domestic fan base — and its relationship with Spain, which is not quite as straightforward as you might think.Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas lifting the 2010 World Cup with Spain (Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)Before Spain’s golden run that brought two European Championships and their first World Cup between 2008-2012, they had repeatedly fallen short on the international stage.Some Madrid fans contrasted this with their club’s continental success. Zinedine Zidane’s volley at Hampden Park in May 2002 sealed their ninth European Cup/Champions League trophy. A month later, Spain were dumped out of the World Cup quarter-finals by co-hosts South Korea.