Pau Cubarsi made his debut with Barcelona's first team at the tender age of 16.
On 18 January 2024, Cubarsi made his first team debut against Unionistas de Salamanca in the Copa del Rey, being subbed on in the 46th minute. His first start came in the next match against Real Betis in La Liga, a day before his 17th birthday on 21 January.
The quality and maturity displayed by the young defender surprised many of the first-team players. In fact, one Barca veteran couldn’t believe Cubarsi’s age even after he revealed it post-debut. So, who was astonished by Cubarsí’s age?
According to the “Barca Reservat” podcast on Catalunya Radio, hosted by Xavi Campos, Laia Tudel, Bernat Soler and Ramon Salmurri – the revelation occurred after a training session.
Following their match at Villamarin against Betis, the Barca players returned to training. After the session, they headed to the dressing room, and it was there that Robert Lewandowski struck up a conversation with Cubarsi that went something like this:
Lewandowski: “Pau, a question: how old are you?”
Cubarsí: “I’m 16 years old.”
Lewandowski: “I told you to tell me your real age. Don’t trick me.”
Cubarsí: “I promise I’m 16 years old.”
Lewandowski: “I can’t believe you played this well at your age; I’ve never seen anything like it.”
As reported on “Barça Reservat,” it’s clear that Cubarsi’s teammates admire him greatly, seeing him play with the maturity of a veteran. Coach Xavi Hernandez himself commented during a press conference:
“Yes, we used to joke about Cubarsi, as if he had no idea how old he was. Andres, our coach, said he seems like a veteran. His ball distribution is outstanding. But it’s not just that, he’s aggressive in defence, never loses duels… Well, I’m very pleased with Pau.”
Look at Pau Cubarsi's passing distribution at 17 years of age 🇪🇸🌟pic.twitter.com/jLaTW7sQeU
— Stop That Messi (@stopthatmessiii) March 15, 2024
