Pau Cubarsi: The best defender at the World Cup and a silent weapon for La Roja

He had written it down in a notebook. Play a World Cup match. The kid from Estanyol, a village of two hundred souls without a football pitch in the province of Girona, not only achieved this dream, but he has also become one of its most memorable faces.

At nineteen, Pau Cubarsi is the only player under twenty to have played every minute of this World Cup, the best ball-playing defender in the tournament, and the sole representative of his generation in the best eleven of the group stage selected by Opta, alongside Messi, Vinicius, Mbappe and Haaland.

In 270 minutes played, three clean sheets, 290 successful passes out of 295 attempted - an accuracy rate of 98.3%, the best in the tournament- nine out of ten long passes completed, sixteen ball recoveries, nine clearances, only one dribbler got past him, one foul committed, and one opponent sent off following one of his interventions. Seven duels won.

Spain has not conceded a single goal since the start of the tournament, finishing the group stage with the same record as Mexico: the only other team to keep a clean sheet in all three opening matches. 0-0 against Cape Verde, 4-0 against Saudi Arabia, 1-0 against Uruguay. For La Roja, it’s a first in World Cup history. Cubarsí is its backbone.

Pressure that slides off

Praise for this outstanding World Cup start is piling up, as are the comparisons. Marco Materazzi, 2006 World Cup champion, publicly regretted that the spotlight was on Lamine Yamal rather than him. Peter Drury, the legendary English commentator, is left speechless by the teenager’s performances:

"Football has given us Pau Cubarsí for all those who never had the privilege of watching Carles Puyol play. This young man is only 19, but he defends with the wisdom of a veteran and the composure of someone who has spent his whole life at the highest level.

"He doesn’t chase the game; he reads it, controls it, and often neutralises danger before it even has time to develop. He is the calm in the storm, the organiser, the guardian, the young giant who makes everyone around him better."

A calm that is not just for show. When asked where this apparent composure comes from, whether it’s mental training or professional support, Cubarsi replied: "No, I think I’m just naturally like this. My family is also very calm, with good values that they passed on to me. I don’t like to attract attention. On the pitch, I give everything. Off it, I prefer to stay out of the spotlight and be with my family."

He does admit, however, that the World Cup is a special context, even for him, who "faces daily pressure at Barça."

"The World Cup is a knockout tournament, and the slightest mistake can be costly. You have to be very focused."

But beneath this apparent calm is also a competitor. "I like to be imposing, aggressive, it’s a position where you can’t back down from anyone. You need to have character", he says. The carpenter’s son from Estanyol knows exactly what he’s doing on the pitch.

Cubrasi's path to the top

This World Cup didn’t just fall from the sky. Cubarsi is the first to acknowledge the journey he’s made. He believes that between the 17-year-old Cubarsí making his debut with Barça and the 19-year-old experiencing his first major tournament with Spain, "a lot has changed". 

"I’ve understood that everything is earned, that you have to work day after day. And if something doesn’t come, something else can help you along the way. It’s a very long journey, with opportunities you have to know how to seize."

His path as a young prodigy hasn’t been without obstacles: in the summer of 2024, he was among the 29 players called up to Las Rozas to prepare for the Euros, before being one of three players left out by Luis De La Fuente, who preferred more experienced centre-backs.

De La Fuente directed him towards the Olympic Games, where Cubarsi won gold with Eric García as his partner in central defence. When asked if his experience in Paris helped him mature, he confirmed to Marca: "Of course. I was a kid back then. And I still am a bit today. You have to make a lot of mistakes to become a player. You have to live through a lot of experiences and improve from everything that happens to you."

A discreet leader

In the Spanish dressing room, Cubarsi is taking on a growing role that goes beyond just his defensive performances. Asked about whether he feels he’s become a leader since the start of the tournament, he admits: "Yes, every time I try to improve and earn a bigger role within the team, I feel more and more like a leader." A leadership style that matches his personality, far from fiery speeches.

When asked how he asserts this leadership in a young team and earns the respect of his teammates, his answer says everything about his character: "Off the pitch, it’s mainly about having fun, spending time together, and playing games. That helps us take a step back from football. On the pitch, in training, we have to pay attention to everything, be fully focused and, above all, improve and help our teammates."

The partnership with Laporte and Simon behind

In this World Cup, Cubarsi is not alone at centre-back. Alongside him is Aymeric Laporte, ten years his senior, a veteran of several major tournaments with La Roja, including Euro 2024, who takes on part of the organising and guiding duties.

Laporte is full of praise for his partner: "He’s an incredible player. He’s already played a lot of matches with Barça and the national team. Time will tell, but he has huge potential." Coach Luis De La Fuente agrees, praising after the group stage "an exceptional level of focus, responsibility, and solidity" in his team.

Laporte brings Cubarsí the "experience" he can’t yet have at 19: "He helps me and gives me instructions. I also try to help him as much as I can, but experience is slightly on his side."

And when reminded of his impressive stats and asked if he sees himself as the man of the World Cup, he refuses to take the credit: "Maybe statistically I’m in a good position, but Laporte next to me has played spectacular matches, and Unai has also been huge in goal. We’re all very happy."

Yet the individual stats show that it’s him, the youngest of the two centre-backs, whom Opta’s analysts recognise as the tournament’s best defender.

Defensive work in the shadow of the attack

While Lamine Yamal has attracted all the media attention from journalists following La Roja at the start of this World Cup, Cubarsi praises the behind-the-scenes work done by his teammates: "People always talk more about the player who scores goals or provides assists. The truth is, Lamine is at an incredible level and we should always talk about him. He deserves it for everything he does. But there are also the players at the back. Mistakes are more visible, and it’s just as important to value that work."

Even so, he has gradually become the other Spanish star of the World Cup, even if, by his own admission, he "doesn’t like to attract attention" and "prefers to stay discreet and calm".

But Spain will be hearing about him for a long time. Peter Drury put it best: if he’s already here at 19, imagine what kind of player he’ll be at twenty-nine. The kid who used to watch World Cups at his village pool and write them down in a notebook has just become one of its main protagonists. The next chapter belongs to an entire decade.

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