Newly signed Real Madrid defender Marc Cucurella has joined a unique list since his move to the Spanish capital from the English capital. While there have been 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 to play for Real Madrid with a past in the Barcelona youth system is rather short.
Albert Celades – Barcelona-born midfielder who rose through La Masia. After training at Barça and spending four seasons in the first team, he signed for Real Madrid in 2000. He also appeared for Barcelona’s senior team before moving to Madrid via Celta Vigo.
Takefusa Kubo – He joined Barcelona’s La Masia academy in 2011 at age 10, 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 J1 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 did not play a single game at senior level for Real Madrid. In 2022, Madrid sold him to Real Sociedad. Being in Barcelona’s youth system, moving to Real Madrid but not playing any senior games for the club makes Kubo a unique case in itself.
Víctor Muñoz – born in Barcelona in 2003, came through Barcelona’s La Masia before moving to Damm at 14, then joined Real Madrid’s academy in 2021. He rose through La Fábrica and the Castilla reserves, and made his first-team debut in the latter stages of the 2024-25 season against Barcelona, with another La Liga appearance following in a win over Sevilla and two run-outs at the Club World Cup. After four senior appearances for Los Blancos, he joined Osasuna in a roughly €6m move in 2025. He was signed by Liverpool recently.
Marc Cucurella spent years in Barcelona’s youth system and played one Copa del Rey fixture for the senior side in 2017-18. However, when asked about his move to Real Madrid, he stated that it was simply an opportunity he could not say no to.
