Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

Leon was genuinely glad he had taken the trip to A Coruña to search for answers—and even more so that he was able to spend two quiet, meaningful days in that coastal city with Valerón.

Perhaps some questions still lingered in his heart.

Perhaps there were still things he only half understood, things he would only truly comprehend through the slow grind of his professional career.

But at the very least, the restlessness he had felt recently, the agitation driven by doubt, had finally calmed.

Just as Valerón had said—he was ready to start again after any failure, and he would never give up on football.

That meant he was already walking his own path.

And Valerón, with his peaceful demeanor and serene philosophy, had given Leon a completely new perspective on professional football.

Outside the pitch, Leon could go all out with commercials, image-building, and work with agents to position himself for awards.

But once he stepped onto the field, he had to return to what football truly was.

That was why he’d chosen this career. It was where his love began. It was the foundation of everything else.

”Enjoy football,” Valerón told him before they parted.

”Enjoy it as you did when you first discovered it.

With the courage to face failure head-on, you’ve already won—Little Lion.”

Leon could only hug the midfield maestro tightly.

There were no words better than that embrace to express his gratitude and respect.

”I sincerely hope you and Deportivo return to La Liga at the end of the season.

And I look forward to seeing you again.”

”Thank you, Leon. And good luck to you and Real Madrid. Keep going.”

”Goodbye, Mr. Valerón.”

”Goodbye, Leon.”

With his mind clear and his heart full, Leon left A Coruña with far more than he ever expected.

After returning to Madrid, he spent two days shooting ads, then immediately resumed his training routine, commuting between his home and Valdebebas.

Of course, before that, he made sure to call Mourinho.

And the one who welcomed him back to the training pitch—not Karanka, not his usual fitness coach Rui Faria—but someone unexpected.

”Mr. Pintus!”

Leon’s eyes lit up as he saw the legendary conditioning coach waiting on the pitch.

He hurried over, laughing, and gave Pintus a hug.

He didn’t even need to ask why Pintus was there. He already knew.

”José and Zizou invited me. I couldn’t say no,” Pintus said, grinning.

”And I just finished my contract with Marseille… didn’t think I’d be seeing you again so soon, Leon.”

Though currently only serving as a consultant, Real Madrid had offered Pintus an exceptional package.

With Leon—one of his favorite trainees from the Milan days—already at the club, Pintus was more than happy to take the offer.

That morning, the two dove straight back into one-on-one sessions.

But this time, it wasn’t grueling bootcamp mode.

There’s a world of difference between preseason work and in-season maintenance.

Leon’s morning consisted of standard recovery training.

In the afternoon, they focused on long and short passing drills—a deep dive into technique and consistency.

Pintus even oversaw Leon’s post-training therapy and recovery.

While other Madrid players were either on international duty or enjoying their break, Pintus took the opportunity to get used to the Valdebebas facilities—with Leon as his pilot subject.

On October 9, a few players not involved in international matches returned to training by 9 a.m.

Among them were Altıntop, Granero, Callejón, and Lass Diarra.

A few Castilla players—Nacho, Morata, and Jesé—were also brought up to train with the first team.

This delighted Leon.

Even though he and Nacho talked every couple of days and usually met up at least twice a week, training together at Valdebebas again felt completely different.

Nacho was even more excited.

This wasn’t like his brief preseason training stint last year.

Being called up midseason? That meant Mourinho was satisfied with his Castilla performances and wanted to give him real first-team minutes.

For Nacho, who had only played twice for the first team at the tail end of last season, this was a huge breakthrough.

As for Morata and Jesé?

They were mainly there to get a taste of the environment.

At their age, and with Madrid’s forward rotation already stacked, it would take an injury crisis to see either of them get match time.

On October 12, the rest of the international players returned and reported for physical checks.

As expected, Morata and Jesé returned to Castilla.

Nacho stayed.

”Sergio’s moving to center back permanently. That leaves Arbeloa alone on the right. You’re going to get real minutes. Make them count.”

Leon pulled Nacho aside after training to give him the news.

With Ramos and Pepe building excellent chemistry in the center, Mourinho had already made the decision to use Ramos exclusively as a center back—earlier than Leon had expected.

Carvalho and the young Varane formed a solid rotation option.

But that meant right-back suddenly became thin.

Arbeloa, once a backup, was now first-choice by default.

With no new signings, Madrid’s coaching staff had to promote internally—and that backup spot was now Nacho’s to lose.

Compared to Carvajal, who was also doing well at Castilla, Nacho had age, experience, and positional versatility on his side.

Leon didn’t say anything to Mourinho about it.

Yes, Nacho was his best friend.

But he also got along great with Carvajal.

They were all part of the same generation of standout talents from La Fábrica—Madrid’s famed academy.

Leon and Carvajal had played together in the C team.

Carvajal and Nacho were teammates in Castilla.

So Leon felt no need to push or lobby.

This outcome—Nacho earning the spot naturally—was the best possible result.

No guilt. No awkwardness.

Just joy, for both of them.

After training ended, Leon didn’t stay behind for extra drills. Instead, he left the base with Nacho, driving together to Alcalá de Henares, the small city near Madrid where Nacho’s family now lived.

Having heard in advance about Nacho officially making the first team, his parents had prepared a full home-cooked dinner, waiting warmly at the table.

For Leon, visiting Nacho’s house was no different than going home himself. After giving the usual hugs to Nacho’s parents, he sat down and smiled, quietly watching Nacho receive encouragement and congratulations from his family with barely contained excitement.

That night, Leon was in high spirits and had a massive appetite.

He ate well and slept even better.

The next morning, after heartfelt goodbyes to Nacho’s parents, the two drove together back to Valdebebas.

It was a familiar scene—one that had played out many times over the past seven years.

But back then, both Leon and Nacho had sat in the back seat, driven early in the morning by Nacho’s father to La Fábrica, Real Madrid’s youth training facility.

Now, watching the familiar streets roll past the window, Leon couldn’t help but reminisce about the hard work and goofy moments they had shared during their academy days.

Until Nacho’s shout snapped him back to reality.

”Don’t zone out, Little Lion! Help me figure out how to perform today. I want to leave a good impression on Mr. Mourinho!”

Leon turned his head, grinning at the mix of nerves and excitement on Nacho’s face.

He leaned back in the passenger seat with his hands behind his head.

”Just play like you normally do. You don’t think the boss and staff have watched your Castilla footage? And don’t forget, you’ve already played for the first team before. What’s there to stress about?”

”Oh please! You’ve already locked in your spot on the first team. I only got a couple of token appearances last season. Don’t give me that cryptic nonsense—give me something useful!”

”I’m serious. Just relax. Don’t be too tense around the boss. Be natural. And hey—who knows? Maybe one day you’ll win more Champions League titles than him.”

”What? Are you dreaming? The boss has two! I’ve only seen the trophy in the club museum!”

”I’m telling you, you’ll win at least five!”

”What?! Fine, five it is. And how many are you going to win?”

”Six, of course. Gotta be better than you.”

”You serious? You’re messing with me again!”

”Hahaha!”

Laughing and chatting the whole way, the two finally arrived at the training base.

Leon immediately took the still-a-little-stiff Nacho around to greet each of the first-team veterans.

Since Nacho had already debuted for the first team last season, there was no need for a formal introduction. Mourinho offered a few encouraging words before training began.

In that morning’s intense session, Nacho gradually shook off his nerves.

Well—he might have shaken them off faster if Leon had stopped winking at him and stealing the ball during drills.

Over the next few days, Nacho integrated smoothly into the squad.

After the international break, Madrid returned to action with a packed schedule.

From October 15 to October 22, they were set to play two La Liga matches and one Champions League group-stage game.

Fitness coaches Rui Faria and Pintus sprang into action.

They monitored each player’s condition, consulted with the medical staff, and provided Mourinho with a tailored rotation plan.

Three games in eight days.

One of them a UCL clash.

Without rotation, at least a third of the squad would be at high injury risk by the end of the stretch.

Thankfully, Mourinho wasn’t one of those iron-headed coaches who refused to rotate.

For the October 15 match against Real Betis, he rolled out a 4-4-2 lineup with heavy rotation.

Leon, the iron man, still started.

But his midfield partners weren’t Alonso or Di María this time.

Instead, Lass Diarra and Granero joined him in the middle.

Kaká, who only played one World Cup qualifier and rested during the second, was in good condition and returned to the starting XI.

Up front?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Callejón.

Benzema and Higuaín both started on the bench.

The defense featured Varane and Pepe in central defense.

Ramos was benched, with Coentrão and Arbeloa continuing as full-backs.

Casillas remained in goal.

Commentators across La Liga agreed: Mourinho was clearly planning ahead for the upcoming Champions League group match.

Even so, this lineup was more than enough to handle Betis.

And when it came to facing his former teammates from Betis?

Leon didn’t hold back.

After a few hugs and smiles before kickoff, he went full throttle during the match.

Working with Lass to shut down Betis’s central attacking channels, he also provided continuous service to Kaká just behind the front two.

Leon didn’t push forward often this time.

But with his support, Kaká flourished—freed from defensive duties, he delivered two assists before the end of the first half.

Ronaldo and Callejón each scored, sharing the chances evenly.

In the 56th minute, with the match well under control, Mourinho made his move.

Nacho replaced Arbeloa.

The Bernabéu roared with applause.

The twin defensive stars from Castilla had reunited—on the first-team stage.

Many Madrid fans had seen their partnership blossom in the academy, from La Fábrica to the C team, and later in Castilla.

One was the best defender in the youth setup.

The other, the best defensive midfielder.

They’d grown together for nearly six years, developing chemistry and instinctual understanding few others could match.

Leon looked up as Nacho jogged onto the field.

Nacho met his gaze and smiled.

As they passed each other, they exchanged a perfect high-five.

And so, the story of the Castilla defensive duo officially began—on the stage of La Liga.

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