Next big thing in the making ?

The football world saw Pau Cubarsi take off on Wednesday night when he took on Paris Saint-Germain. Everyone was aware of his talent going into the Champions League first-leg quarterfinal match in Paris, but he was still a long way from reaching his rite of passage.

What a magnificent venue the 17-year-old choose to make his debut. Cubarsi outperformed everyone in a tough environment engendered by the fanatical Parisian fans, while PSG, captained by the formidable Kylian Mbappe, unexpectedly lost.

Cubarsi comes from a small village in Catalonia with only 200 people, and he certainly gave his hometown pride by playing exceptionally well against one of the world's top teams. He was the second youngest player to play in a quarterfinal of the Champions League and performed admirably against Luis Enrique's team.

The centre defender, who was participating in his second Champions League match following his outstanding performance as man of the match against Napoli last month, didn't appear intimidated by the big stage. And he was good at hiding any concern he might have had.

He played a fantastic first half. He possessed the highest number of clearances. He passed the ball with about a 93% accuracy rate, like a magician. There was no change in the second half. Especially after winning the ball back five times, he attracted attention. It would be an understatement to say that he held the audience fascinated. At the Parc des Princes, a star was born! Just two days before his birthday, Cubarsi, who joined Barcelona in 2018 from Girona FC, made his debut in La Liga against Real Betis earlier in the year. He made his 15th appearance in the first team overall in the encounter against PSG.

?Cubarsi has every quality needed to be a future superstar. He is unique because of his exceptional peripheral vision. To put it simply, he has an entire mental print of the field with players at different positions. His play therefore involves a lot of stealth, which occasionally unnerves the opposition. In actuality, the Barcelona defence as a whole displayed excellent form. The three other defenders, Ronald Araujo, Joao Cancelo, and Les Kounde, who were mainly in charge of stopping Mbappe, also had an outstanding performance.

The France World Cup winner, who might wear Real Madrid colours starting next season, seemed powerless against the defensive five that night. Only three shots were in his total, and none of them found the target. Of the PSG outfield players that played the entire game, he had the fewest touches—44—during the entire contest. That is not frequently the case. Although Cubarsi and his backline teammates were the main architects of the victory, Raphinha scored two goals in Barcelona's 3-2 victory. There were no solutions for the offensive trio of Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Marco Asensio. Despite having 18 shots and a 59% possession rate, PSG was unable to overcome the formidable performance of the Barcelona quintet.

Not just from Barcelona's perspective, but Spain should also be pleased that Cubarsi passed the PSG exam with flying colours. Cubarsi has only appeared in two La Roja games thus far, both of which were friendlies against Colombia and Brazil last month. With Euro 2024 just a few months away, Luis de la Fuente should be pleased with his excellent choice in Cubarsi.

?Supporters of Spain, who are huge admirers of World Cup and Euro winner Carles Puyol, would hope Cubarsi follows in the footsteps of the great men who have characterised their country throughout the past century.

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