Pau Cubarsí is a central defender developed at La Masia who has established himself in Barça's first team under Hansi Flick. At 19 he already has over a hundred appearances for the senior side, and his honours include a LaLiga title, a Copa del Rey and two Supercups, plus several records for precocity. Although he looks seasoned, only two years have passed since his debut under Xavi Hernández.
He recalls his debut in the Copa in Salamanca against Unionistas: at half-time Xavi told him to warm up, took him by the arm and said he had complete confidence in him. On the pitch he felt comfortable and calm; the hardest part was what came afterwards — interviews, microphones and cameras. He has always spoken Catalan with family and friends and practised Spanish at school.
Four days later, after making his LaLiga debut against Betis, Xavi congratulated him and publicly wished him a happy birthday. Robert Lewandowski approached and asked in disbelief, "Are you really 17?" — he couldn't believe what he saw, maybe because Cubarsí still looked like a boy.
Two months after breaking into the first team he got his chance in the Champions League: in the second leg of the round of 16 against Napoli Xavi started him even though he had not played a minute in the first leg. He faced Victor Osimhen and aimed to be aggressive but composed, defend well and play the ball out from the back. He had strong duels and was later named man of the match — something he found hard to believe.
Another memorable episode in the Champions came against Red Star Belgrade: in a challenge an opponent raised his foot and hit Cubarsí in the face, causing bleeding. His teammates called for the doctor and at half-time he was told he needed stitches. He first asked to take a selfie to send to his mother and keep a memory. To be able to play against Real Sociedad days later he had to wear a protective headguard that made him look like a McDonald's employee — his teammates jokingly called him the McDonald's waiter.
Cubarsí has never hidden his deep Barça allegiance. He remembers that when his parents told him Barcelona wanted to sign him after a tournament in Cornellà where he played wearing Girona's shirt, he wanted to run with joy — as a Barça fan he couldn't say no. Born in January 2007, his earliest Barça memories are linked to Messi, Iniesta and Xavi, then the MSN era; the 2015 Champions final against Juventus was the first big match that really stuck with him and made him want to play for Barça.
He also admitted turning down offers from other clubs while in the academy and never considering leaving. Once Óscar, Xavi's brother and then an assistant coach, told him: "Stay with us. You'll be important." Those words gave him a boost of confidence. Cubarsí joined Barça in 2018 at age 12 and progressed through all the categories.
