Marc Cucurella has just helped Spain win the 2026 World Cup, and then signed for Real Madrid. After four years in London, the defender and his family - partner Claudia Rodriguez and their three children, Mateo, Rio and Bela - are now moving to the Spanish capital. And the house they are leaving behind is a story in itself.

The London home is anything but minimalist. The entrance alone is a statement - a white marble floor with a geometric pattern, black lines and golden veins, ceilings at three heights and a gallery with a dark railing. From above hangs a crystal chandelier that cascades down like a waterfall. Here nothing is spared on monumentality, gleam and verticality.

Maximalism instead of emptiness

The interior follows the same logic. Instead of empty surfaces and cold minimalism, the home bets on drama: a table of dark smoked glass that acts like a sculpture, cylindrical pedestals beside the windows, lavish floral arrangements. The materials - crystal, mirrored surfaces - take on the role usually played by furniture and details. This is a home that wants to tell a story, not to impress with restraint.

English facade, Spanish heart

From the outside, the house is a classic English manor - symmetrical volumes, a steep roof of dark slate meant for snow, white walls that catch the light, and traditional windows with a lattice that give it a romantic, British character. A sober, sophisticated build in the neoclassical tradition. But the contrast with Madrid will be sharp: the intense, direct Spanish light has nothing in common with the filtered, grey atmosphere of London.

And it is precisely for that reason the move will not be just a change of address, but of aesthetic. In Spain, the yard stops being an ornament and becomes a second living room - a place for lunch outdoors, for sunbathing, for play. The hydrangeas with their vivid fuchsia balls and the dense greenery in the London yard were a beauty to look at; in Madrid, the outdoor space will be lived in every day.

The homes of Spanish footballers usually come with a complete outdoor dining area, a sun terrace, a pool, and even a small playground or tennis court - a luxury that rainy London made unnecessary. „We fully adapted to London, but we always miss Spain”, Claudia admitted, „especially the food and the weather”. And here is the point every Balkan person who has worked abroad understands at once: a person can build a home anywhere, but the home still smells of the place they came from.