Highly-rated Barcelona coach joins Real Madrid 

Real Madrid have added former Barcelona youth team coach Xavier Mocholi Leon to their La Fabrica youth system.

Mocholi Leon spent six years in the Barcelona youth academy La Masia and is regarded at the club as one of the brightest coaches for player development.

Reports in Spain suggest that Real Madrid were not the only club interested, and Valencia also held talks with the coach, with club president Peter Lim trying to convince Leon to return to the Mestalla.

He had earlier worked in the Valencia youth set-up and helped in the development of current stars like Kang-in Lee, Hugo Guillamon, and Ferran Torres.

Leon is highly regarded for his ability to convince highly-rated youngsters to join his club by sorting out their family situations within the city.

Lim was, however, unsuccessful in his meeting with Leon and the former Barcelona coach decided to join Real Madrid.

📍🌐 #SevillaFCRealMadrid kick-off times around the world!📺 We can't wait to hear where you are watching from, madridistas! 👇#HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/wvrBsDO07C

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) December 5, 2020

Real Madrid have invested heavily in youth development in recent years and reaped dividends when they won their first UEFA Youth League title under the management of the legendary Raul Gonzalez.

The Real Madrid icon has been linked with the job at the Santiago Bernabeu, especially as Zinedine Zidane has struggled to get wins this season.

Xavier Mocholi Leon's move from Barcelona to Real Madrid sure to leave a sour taste in the mouth of Blaugrana supporters

FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have a deep rivalry

Real Madrid and Barcelona are widely regarded as two of the biggest clubs in the world. Beyond their sporting rivalry on the field, the two clubs also share a deep heated rivalry bordering on pure animosity.

This rivalry lies stems from a history of political marginalization as well as economic sabotage. Fans of Real Madrid cannot stand their Barcelona counterparts and vice versa.

🎙Manager @RonaldKoeman discusses the big themes surrounding Saturday's clash at Cádiz. #CadizBarça pic.twitter.com/CtkxYSX8eV

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 5, 2020

The animosity that exists in both camps is such that players or staff crossing over is extremely rare and anybody who does so is declared persona non grata, as Luis Figo is fully aware.

Real Madrid and Barcelona have gotten their campaigns off to rocky starts and currently sit in 4th and 7th spots respectively. Madrid also face an uphill task to secure qualification from their Champions League group.

Barcelona will travel to take on Cadiz in their next league encounter, while Real Madrid visit the Estadio Sanchez Pizjuan to tackle Sevilla.