Pau Cubarsí the 17-year-old FC Barcelona defender has captured the spotlight with flawless performance in the Champions League round of 16 tie against Napoli. It was his debut UEFA Champion League match and the teenage sensation played like a beast shutting down players like Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen. Learn who is Pau Cubarsí in detail and all about his emergence in the mighty FC Barcelona.
FC Barcelona the Spanish giants who have not had the best of times in the recent past are still producing some of the finest talents via La Masia their academy. Gavi, Pedri, Ansu Fati, Yamal, Balde, Fermin Lopez and now Pau Cubarsi are the teenage sensations developed by the Barca Academy in the last few years.
Barcelona hasn’t been at their brilliant best this season and their performances overall have been up and down. They have struggled with injuries and the financial situation of the club but the good thing about the club is that it has continued to produce ballers through their academy. Pau Cubarsi is the latest name in the list of top talents they have introduced to the footballing world.
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Who is Pau Cubarsí Age, Bio, Stats, Career
Pau Cubarsí showed tremendous maturity and class during the UCL match against Napoli which earned him the Man of the Match award. He won 100% of duels in the match with a passing accuracy of over 90%. Pau Cubarsí age is only 17 but he is getting compared to defensive legends Ronald Koeman, Carles Puyol, and Gerard Pique. According to Transfermarkt, he right a footed CB with a 1.84 m height, and his date of birth is Jan 22, 2007.
Hailing from Estanyol in Girona, Catalonia, Cubarsí kickstarted his career with Girona before making a switch to Barcelona in 2018 at the age of 12. Since then, he has been with Barcelona Academy La Masia playing for Barcelona B and youth teams. He was the third youngest player from Barcelona to play in the UEFA Youth League, only behind Lamine Yamal and Ilaix Moriba.
Even though Xavi Hernández might have only needed the youngster temporarily due to injuries a few months ago, the player impressed him so much that he’s now becoming a more regular part of his defensive strategy. Pau appeared in the league matches and Copa Del Ray afterward. The Barcelona vs Napoli game was his debut in UCL.
He started training with the first team in April 2023, signed a professional contract in July, and recently played his first league game against Real Betis which FC Barcelona won 4-2. He played his first full game for Barcelona in the Copa del Rey against Unionists. He even helped set up a goal making his first assist.
FC Barcelona management and fans rate him very highly and consider him the future of the club. The teenage talent has not let them down certainly and made everyone notice his skills when it comes to defending and calmness on the ball.
Pau Cubarsí Breaks 20-Year-Old Record by Winning Man of the Match Award
The teenage prodigy showed amazing defending skills and quality to win the Man of the Match award against Napoli breaking the 20-year-old club’s Champions League record. Pau stood out by playing really well defensively and staying calm against one of the top strikers in Europe, Victor Osimhen.
Pau Cubarsí stats as per Opta in the pressure round of 16 match were 50+ passes (61/68), 100% of his tackles (3/3), and make 5+ clearances to break a club record that has stood since the 2003-04 season. The youngster made some great passes under pressure during and showed a lot of composure.
He also became Barça’s youngest defender to play in the Champions League at the age of 17 years, 1 month and 20 days. He beat the record set by Héctor Fort who was 17 years and 133 days when he made his debut in the Champion League for Barcelona earlier this season.
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Conclusion
Well, who is Pau Cubarsí should not be a mystery anymore after reading this post as we have provided all the details about the latest teenage sensation produced by the Barcelona Academy. Pau made his debut in the Champions League against Napoli last night and won the player of the match award as well.