With 16-year-old Pau Cubarsi’s impressive debut performance on the pitch over the weekend, Barcelona is thrilled that, based on the early indications, they may have discovered yet another jewel in their academy. Xavi trusted Cubarsi to start in a crucial away game at the Benito Villamarin, even though he had just made his debut last week as a substitute for Andreas Christensen against Unionistas de Salamanca. He looked good during the start.
Diario AS claims that Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has been keeping tabs on Cubarsi’s development for a while. Another question is if he would attempt to sign Cubarsi away from Barcelona given how unpopular that would be with the team he backs. However, Barcelona has extended Guardiola’s contract twice in as many months because they are aware of his level of interest in the player. His current contract is set to expire in 2026. Joan Laporta is unwilling to lose him to the Premier League, like she did with Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas.
It is said that Cubarsi is the ideal blend of Pique and Carles Puyol. A defender with Puyol’s aggression and love for that aspect of the game, but also a player with Pique’s ball-playing skills. His pass accuracy against Real Betis was 93.5%. At a little over 180 cm right now, he is continuously growing.
Although there is room for criticism over Barcelona’s transfer policy, Laporta has done a generally good job of developing their youthful players in recent years. Since his return, Alejandro Balde, Pedri, Ansu Fati, Gavi, Ronald Araujo, Lamine Yamal, and Gavi have all signed new contracts; the latter two did so in response to Manchester City’s interest. Cubarsi will also be a fierce possession for the Blaugrana.
