When witnessing Pau Cubarsi playing, many people easily forget that he is only 19 years old.
The Barcelona center-back was awarded the FIFA World Cup 2026 Young Player of the Year award after making a great contribution to Spain's championship. Becoming a starting center-back at this age is already rare, but what makes Cubarsi more prominent is that he plays a central role in the best defense of the tournament.
Throughout the championship journey, Spain only conceded one goal after 8 matches. Luis de la Fuente's team also only faced a total expected goal score (xG) from live ball situations of 1.69 - the lowest among the 32 teams that passed the group stage, despite playing more than most of their opponents when reaching the final.
In the final match against Argentina, the Spanish defense continued to show dominance. In 90 official minutes, Lionel Scaloni's team did not launch a single shot and only had one touch of the ball in the opponent's penalty area. Including extra time, Argentina also only shot twice with a total xG of only 0.2.
In Luis de la Fuente's ball control system, center-backs are not only defensive but also an important link in the process of deploying the ball. This is Cubarsi's outstanding strength.
In the final, the 19-year-old center-back led in the number of touches (139), number of successful passes (121), pass accuracy rate (96%) and number of passes breaking through the opponent's defense (21). Although the statistics were partly supported by the fact that the match lasted until extra time and Spain's ball control style, that performance still showed calmness, technique and rare bravery in a 19-year-old player.
Cubarsi also excellently completed the defensive task. He had the most clearances in the final with six times and won seven tackles, the third most in the Spanish squad. Argentina created very few dangerous opportunities, and Cubarsi's solid performance was one of the important reasons.
That was not Cubarsi's momentary explosive performance. Throughout the 2026 World Cup, only Rodri completed more passes than Cubarsi. The 2026 World Cup Golden Ball winner made 756 passes, while Cubarsi achieved 671.
Although mostly short passes, Cubarsi always brings accuracy and direction in the way he rotates the ball. He made the most progressive passes in the tournament with 221 times, reflecting positive ball deployment thinking.
Cubarsi's creativity also far exceeds the standard model of a normal center-back. He created eight chances, the most among the center-backs at the tournament, and had five cross-line passes creating scoring opportunities, equal to Lisandro Martinez's record.
Passs that penetrate the defense are one of the factors helping Spain maintain superior ball control. Cubarsi made 104 passes that broke through the opponent's defense, only behind Rodri (122).
If calculated on average every 90 minutes, Cubarsi makes 12.5 passes breaking through the defense, ranking third among defenders, only behind Jonathan Tah (14.9) and Tim Ream (12.8). This further shows the ability to read the game and choose passes of the Spanish center-back.
Before the 2026 World Cup kicked off, many people believed that the Best Young Player title would belong to an attacking star like Lamine Yamal. But after 8 matches, no young player has created greater influence than Cubarsi.
Spain closed the tournament with a completely convincing championship, and Cubarsi deserves to be recognized as the best young player of the 2026 World Cup. More importantly, the 19-year-old center-back has proven that he is no longer a promising talent, but has truly entered the ranks of the best center-backs in the world.
