The quality within the Barcelona squad has historically made it challenging for young players to break through. However, the club's recent financial issues have created significant opportunities.
When defensive injuries arose at the start of 2024, La Masia-trained manager Xavi Hernandez decided to call upon La Masia's latest prospect - Pau Cubarsi.
Despite being thrust onto the frontline, Cubarsi has seamlessly adapted to senior football and has helped shore up a defence that had conceded 16 more goals than they did in all of last season.
The Blaugrana boast five clean sheets in the eight La Liga games when the defender has started, and remain unbeaten in those matches.
The 17-year-old has excelled even under the brightest lights, delivering superb performances against Atletico Madrid and earning the Player of the Match award against Napoli in the Champions League.
The sky seems to be the limit for Cubarsi, as he is now being fast-tracked into the senior Spain team and has been called up for the upcoming friendlies against Colombia and Brazil.
Pau Cubarsi Transfer Value - how much is he worth?
According to FootballTransfer's Player Valuation Model, Cubarsi currently has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €4.2m.
Despite playing fewer than 1000 minutes of senior league football, his value has skyrocketed from just €150K at the start of the year, underscoring his rapid development and generational potential.
It's challenging to quantify the value of teenagers who are already competing at the highest levels for both club and country. Cubarsi now joins his teammate Lamine Yamal in being a priceless asset for the Catalans.
The stats - Is Pau Cubarsi worth the hype?
Cubarsi’s elegance and comfort on the ball are an unmistakable imprint of Barcelona's renowned youth academy. His proficiency with both feet will enable him to slot into either the left or right-sided centre-back position in multiple defensive systems.
No La Liga centre-back has attempted more passes per 90 this season than Cubarsi’s 87. The Girona native plays with an incredible personality and confidence that also sees him take 96 touches per 90.
While his numbers might be based on relatively small sample size, they are still a good indication of the technical quality that he brings in possession.
Moreover, he demonstrates excellent variation and intelligence in his distribution, keeping it simple when necessary but also showing a willingness to break lines with inch-perfect outlet passes.
His manager echoes this sentiment. "Cubarsi has quality, he generates offensive plays, connects with the midfielders and attackers. It’s wonderful to watch him play," Xavi added.
While his physical development is not yet complete, Cubarsi has thus far demonstrated the ability to defend against some of the best attackers in the world.
With 1.64 tackles in the defensive third and over 90% success rate in tackling dribblers per 90, Cubarsi sits in the top 4% of La Liga centre backs. This is even more impressive given that he plays in a Barcelona team that often dominates possession and therefore offers its defenders fewer opportunities to make such actions.
The Barcelona number 25 is not the fastest defender out there, but his reading of the game prevents him from getting exposed by quick attackers. The ultimate test of this was coming up against Victor Osimhen, but Cubarsi had the Nigerian striker locked up on the night.
The Spain U17 international demonstrated an impressive level of composure under pressure. Is he the heir to Gerard Pique? Given his promising start, it's certainly a possibility.
Comparing the teenager’s stats to Pique’s numbers from the 2017/18 season shows that he makes more passes at a higher completion rate, has more key and progressive passes, and also has a better defensive contribution per 90.
Pique dominates only in aerial and ball-carrying metrics, but the World Cup winner was able to perform consistently for over a decade, and this will now be the biggest challenge for young Cubarsi.
This article was provided by FootballTransfers
