Chapter 86: From "Little Makelele" to "Little Alonso"—He Did It in Just One Year
The addition of three young guns from Castilla boosted Real Madrid's squad depth, and Mourinho and his coaching staff couldn't have been happier.
At the start of the season, the first-team roster had looked deep enough—on paper.
Plenty of bodies, a strong bench.
But then reality hit.
Khedira?
Didn't play a single league match—completely unreliable.
Granero?
His transformation into a defensive midfielder was sluggish at best. Still adapting. Not someone Mourinho could count on yet.
Altintop?
Don't even mention him. Mourinho still had a headache just thinking about how to use him.
And Sahin?
The guy had just started showing promise—only to get injured.
Out for three months.
So really, of the 24-man first-team squad, four midfielders were either injured or dead weight.
That left 20 players to fight on two fronts: La Liga and the Champions League.
If it weren't for Leon, holding strong game after game, never missing a match, consistently delivering performances above the line—Mourinho might have gone bald from stress.
Now, with three more Castilla boys promoted—on top of Nacho—Madrid's depth in both defense and midfield had improved.
At least now, when Mourinho needed to rotate, he wouldn't panic at the thought of injuries to starters.
And just before Madrid's La Liga Matchday 10 clash with Villarreal, Khedira returned from injury.
Finally. The man had been out for two months.
But Mourinho, not wanting to risk anything, didn't even include him in the squad.
Instead, he made other adjustments to the starting XI.
The biggest change?
Defensive midfield.
Alonso and Leon had both played every game of the season so far—without a single rest.
And Alonso, born in '81, was about to turn 30. His body was holding up fine, but Mourinho wasn't about to run him into the ground.
After two warnings from the medical staff, he finally relented:
Alonso would rest this game.
So naturally, Leon became Madrid's starting and sole holding midfielder for the match.
Lass?
Not an option.
Give him the anchor role and his bad habits—hogging the ball, aerial weakness—would have Ramos and Pepe chewing out Mourinho postgame.
So Mourinho lined up with a midfield three of:
Leon deep, with Granero and Lass ahead of him.
In training, the combo had looked okay.
Ramos could still launch long passes from the back, and Granero and Di María (dropping deeper) could help with wide progression.
But in a real match? This setup hadn't been tested.
Mourinho didn't know how it would play out.
Still, he trusted Leon's ability to cover.
"Worst case, drop Lass back beside him. Just stabilize the defense."
That contingency plan gave Mourinho peace of mind.
And on October 26, one hour before kickoff, Madrid's starting lineup was finally released.
Villarreal were thrown into disarray.
Alonso and Callejón on the bench. Di María moved up. Lass taking Leon's old spot…
Villarreal manager Miguel Ángel looked at the lineup sheet and winced.
"All the tactics we prepared are out the window."
He couldn't overhaul his entire game plan now.
He'd just have to adjust on the fly.
Still clinging to some hope, Miguel looked out at the Bernabéu as Madrid's players warmed up.
His eyes found Leon.
"Maybe... this is our weak point today."
An hour later, the referee's whistle blew.
Matchday 10 of La Liga: Real Madrid vs Villarreal kicked off.
Commentators around the world jumped in to explain the lineup changes.
"Alonso finally gets a rest.
He and Leon have held down the midfield all season, but the man's nearly 30—he needs breaks if Madrid want him fresh for the tight schedule ahead."
"That's right. So today, we'll see Leon starting as the lone defensive midfielder.
It's his first time in that role for Madrid.
Mourinho must really trust him…
And here we go! Welcome to CCTV-5's live coverage!"
He Wei and Xu Yang were back in the booth, bringing the match to Chinese fans.
The game kicked off late—9 p.m. in Spain, which meant 4 a.m. in China.
It was brutal.
Young fans could handle it.
Older ones? Torture.
But still, the number of viewers barely dropped.
Why?
Because Leon was starting.
Because he always won.
And this Madrid team was packed with stars.
The fans in China?
They were more than willing to lose sleep for a match like this.
"Madrid line up in a 4-3-3 tonight.
In goal, No. 1—Iker Casillas…"
Across the backline from left to right, it's No. 12 Marcelo, No. 4 Ramos, No. 3 Pepe, and No. 17 Arbeloa.
In midfield, No. 10 Leon starts deep, with No. 11 Granero and No. 24 Lass Diarra ahead of him.
And the forward line today features No. 7 Cristiano Ronaldo, No. 9 Benzema, and No. 22 Di María."
"Villarreal, meanwhile, line up in a 4-4-2 formation.
In goal: No. 13 Diego López…"
Xu Yang continued the broadcast handoff, reciting the matchday squads fluently without notes.
And on this night at the Bernabéu, Villarreal didn't come in waving the white flag.
In fact, they started by pressing Madrid high in their own half.
Madrid responded calmly, rotating possession along the backline.
They could have lumped it forward early to probe for a fast attack, but that just wasn't their style anymore.
Leon, standing in the deep-lying role where Xabi Alonso usually operated, felt an unfamiliar surge of excitement.
He'd spent more than a year studying, imitating, assisting Alonso and Pirlo-like organizers.
Now it was finally his turn to run the show from the back.
Time to show Villarreal what "composure" really meant.
As striker Giuseppe Rossi came charging in, Leon didn't even consider trying to dribble past him.
One smooth back-pass, then a gesture to the left—Marcelo, push forward.
Leon immediately ran into the space Marcelo vacated.
Pepe passed to Ramos, who sent it wide again—back to Leon.
He hadn't stopped moving the entire time.
As Marco Rubén closed in, Leon turned on the jets and burned him with a single burst forward.
But instead of holding the ball too long, Leon quickly cut inside and hit a slick ground pass to Lass on the right.
From there, Lass had all the space in the world to advance down Villarreal's weak flank.
Watching it unfold, Mourinho smiled on the sideline.
Even Alonso, from the bench, nodded in quiet approval.
If it were Alonso back there, he might have hit a long diagonal after shedding the press—but that didn't mean Leon's route was wrong.
On the contrary, his choice showed awareness and growth.
He avoided his still-developing long passing, and instead stitched the backline to midfield with short, purposeful touches.
Composure.
Awareness.
Mobility.
Passing.
Shielding.
Leon might still fall short in long-range passing compared to Alonso, but when it came to organizing the game and carrying out tactical instructions?
He was already one of the best among La Liga's midfielders.
And with a year of top-flight experience under his belt, his evolution was plain to see.
For Madrid fans who were used to Leon being the team's relentless midfield enforcer, this new side of his game was a wonderful surprise.
A ball-winning machine? Yes.
But also a steady hand capable of directing play when the stars were resting?
That was no longer "Little Makelele."
Some fans had already started calling him "Little Alonso."
Meanwhile, Villarreal's coach Miguel Ángel Lotina, who'd planned to test Leon's build-up play, quietly scrapped that idea.
After watching those first few minutes?
Forget it.
You could tell if a holding midfielder was targetable almost immediately.
Leon handled a double press without panic.
Distributed with confidence.
Covered a ton of ground.
Short passing? Spot on.
Lotina even found himself imagining what Villarreal might look like with Leon and Borja Valero controlling midfield together.
But he wasn't a flashy player.
He didn't take risks.
There was nothing you could exploit.
As Villarreal's press faded, Madrid slowly took full control of the midfield.
And it turned out—Granero was much more comfortable when he wasn't forced to sit deep and get his boots dirty.
After watching Lass try to dribble too much and lose possession, Leon simply shifted the point of attack to the left side.
There, Granero—given time and space—clicked beautifully with Marcelo.
This was Granero's first start of the season.
He knew better than to waste it.
Forward passes? On time.
Quick combos with Marcelo? Clean.
With Granero managing transitions and Marcelo–Cristiano teaming up on the left flank, Madrid's offense exploded.
Once again, it was clear:
Give Marcelo a hard-working anchor behind him (Leon), and his defensive lapses would stop being a liability.
"Leon's organizing play is flawless tonight. So calm, so assured.
Viewers, do you remember? Just over a year ago, when Mourinho promoted him to the first team, he was still nicknamed 'Little Makelele.'"
Xu Yang's voice tinged with pride.
Leon's journey—from midfield destroyer to modern regista—had taken just one year.
Back then, the Spanish media only praised Leon for his defensive instincts—he had nothing to do with midfield organization.
But tonight, after this match, no one would dare say Leon was just a defensive grunt anymore!
"Haha! Or rather, he's still a defensive grunt—but now he's a grunt who can instantly turn into a deep-lying playmaker!
Just like the man on the bench right now—Xabi Alonso. Defense and offense in one.
Leon's rapid growth? A lot of credit goes to Alonso!"
Commentators He Wei and Xu Yang took turns showering Leon with praise.
Because how could they not?
His growth was too incredible not to highlight.
In modern football, you could usually tell right away whether a young midfielder had the talent to be a top-level organizer.
Most players peaked early, their skill ceilings clear from the start.
Leon was the exception.
He started out as a pure destroyer, a no-nonsense ball-winner—
and somehow, within a single year, developed playmaking ability that now rivaled seasoned pros.
It's no wonder Milan fans still couldn't let him go.
After all, it was during his stint with Milan last season that Leon's organizational abilities started to skyrocket.
Can you blame them?
No fanbase would be willing to part with a young player whose growth was so visibly obvious.
"Left side's attack fizzled out. Cristiano pulls it back to stabilize possession—wait, Leon's making a rare forward run!"
"Leon's calling for it! Let's see what he does with this one!"
Xu Yang had gone quiet for a while, but as soon as Leon made his run, both commentators perked up.
Cristiano's return pass was received by Granero, and just as he looked up, he heard Leon's voice.
No hesitation—Granero slid a crisp ground pass to Leon.
Leon didn't drive forward.
Instead, he took a breath, settled the ball, and whipped a long diagonal pass toward the opposite flank.
He had seen it early.
Villarreal had overloaded their right side, trying to contain Cristiano.
Too many bodies had drifted to that flank.
That left their left side—Madrid's right—exposed.
Leon's long ball wasn't flashy, but it was clean, flat, and fast—with just enough lead time for the runner.
He wasn't Alonso yet.
But this pass?
This pass had Alonso's fingerprints all over it.
And Di María?
As always, he was lightning out of the blocks.
Leon's ball gave him a pleasant surprise—it was nearly perfect.
A tad too long, maybe. But way better than watching Lass dribble the ball into defenders.
Di María chased it like a man possessed.
Just before the ball could roll out, he caught it.
The Bernabéu erupted.
Caught off guard, Villarreal's defenders scrambled.
Di María, cool as ice, faked inside and beat Rodríguez on the baseline.
Inside the box, he shaped up for a shot—drawing two defenders.
But it was all a ruse.
He chipped it.
A delicate little lob, sailing to the far post.
Benzema, playing the decoy, had dragged Zapata out of the way.
Now Cristiano had a free jump against a hopelessly outmatched Catalá, who was 5'9" at best.
Cristiano leapt—and it wasn't just a header.
It was a slam dunk with his forehead.
Diego López didn't stand a chance.
That ball was moving like a missile.
The net exploded in a burst of white.
The Bernabéu roared.
Leon, heart finally unclenching, smiled wide and sprinted to join the celebration.
The broadcast camera—almost poetically—zoomed in on him.
As if to say:
From "Little Makelele" to "Little Alonso,"
this boy has made that leap in just one year.
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