Pau Cubarsi became the youngest defender to ever play in the Champions League quarter-finals (17 years and 79 days) after Xavi included him in the starting lineup against PSG.
Last month, the young centre-back was locked down by Victor Osimhen (Napoli). The next victim is now Kylian Mbappe (PSG). They are all top attacking stars in the world, but this young centre-back still finds a way to neutralize them. As Xavi said last month, when Cubarsi has the ball in his feet, the Barcelona captain's heart rate will not increase.
At just 17 years old, Cubarsi has not shown that he is overwhelmed when playing in the Champions League. On the contrary, this morning star has shown himself to be one of the top-class stars in the most prestigious club playground.
In the first 45 minutes, Cubarsi was the one with the most passes from the away team Barcelona, most of them being solid passes, preventing the opponent from having a chance to press right in the home team's field.
Not only that, when he needed to make a breakthrough, the 17-year-old star had a long pass over the line to direct the ball to Robert Lewandowski's position. That was also the situation that sent the visitors to the opening goal.
Xavi once said that he likes Cubarsi passing the ball because the passing force and the destination are always reasonable, even opening up opportunities for his teammates many times. In addition, one of the 17-year-old star's outstanding abilities is his ability to play with both feet very evenly.
Not only that, when the opponent pressed, Cubarsi's ball-holding and rhythm coordination skills also made Xavi feel satisfied. Normally, when receiving the ball back from Frenkie de Jong, the first Cubarsi usually does not have to pass it back to the goalkeeper. On the contrary, this young star will find a way to get the ball forward for his teammates.
In situations where the opponent is approaching the penalty area and his teammates are under pressure, Cubarsi often chooses the position where the opponent can continue to pass or dribble. After that, he will find space to escape the pressing, thereby opening up a counter-attack for the home team.
Cubarsi's performance in the win over PSG was not perfect as he received a yellow card in the second half, but that was not enough to deny what the 17-year-old star did in a Champions League quarter-final.
Sharing his thoughts about Barcelona's young star, former center back Rio Ferdinand could only give the most beautiful words and genuine admiration: "The Barcelona children showed off in this match so wonderful. When we were 16-17, no one could have played with such class and great energy. It is truly worth admiring".
