Mark Cucurella, Real Madrid’s new defender, has joined a unique roster since his move to the Spanish capital from the English capital. While there are many players who have played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, such as Luis Figo, Luis Enrique, Ronaldo Nazario, and Michael Laudrup, the list of players who have played for Real Madrid with a past in Barcelona’s youth system is rather short.
Albert Celades – Barcelona-born midfielder who rose through La Masia. After training at Barcelona and spending four seasons in the first team, he signed for Real Madrid in 2000. He also appeared for Barcelona’s first team before moving to Madrid via Celta Vigo.
Takefusa Kubo He joined Barcelona’s La Masia academy in 2011 when he was 10 years old, but due to FIFA regulations on youth transfers in 2015, he returned to Japan and signed with FC Tokyo, where he became the youngest player ever to appear in a J-League match. In June 2019, Kubo signed with Real Madrid, initially playing for their reserve team, Real Madrid Castilla, before being loaned out. He spent the following years on loan at Mallorca (twice), Villarreal and Getafe, but never played a single game at senior level for Real Madrid. In 2022, Real Madrid sold him to Real Sociedad. Being in Barcelona’s youth system, moving to Real Madrid but not playing any big games for the club makes Kubo a unique case in itself.
Victor Muñoz – Born in Barcelona in 2003, he came through Barcelona’s La Masia before moving to DAM at the age of 14, then joined the Real Madrid academy in 2021. He rose through La Fabrica and Castilla’s reserve team, making his first-team debut in the latter stages of the 2024-25 season against Barcelona, with another appearance in La Liga following a win over Sevilla and two exits from the Club World Cup. After four first-team appearances for Los Blancos, he joined Osasuna in a deal worth around €6 million in 2025. He was recently signed by Liverpool.
Mark Cucurella spent years in Barcelona’s youth team and played one Copa del Rey match with the first team in the 2017-18 season. However, when asked about his move to Real Madrid, he said it was just an opportunity he could not say no to.
