Pau Cubarsí

Written by David Álvarez, Juan I. Irigoyen, Ladislao Moñino, Jon Rivas, Rafael Pineda and Juan L. Cudeiro for El País:

Cubarsí was thrown into the Barcelona first team in January, the day before his 17th birthday, and immediately played like a veteran. “How old are you?” asked an incredulous Robert Lewandowski after he made his league debut against Real Betis. After that start, he played the next 10 games in a row. His eye-catching explosion into senior football soon caught the eye of Luis de la Fuente, who is always on the lookout for promising young players. “We don’t look at the DNI (identity card) before deciding to call someone up,” the national team coach said. Raised in Estanyol, a village with just 185 inhabitants, Cubarsí helped out in the family carpentry shop while dreaming of one day being the new Carles Puyol. Barcelona did not hesitate once they realised the talent they had in their ranks, signing him up until 2027 with a release clause set at €500m. “As a footballer, for his age, he's doing a spectacular job,” said Marc-André ter Stegen. “He’s only at the beginning of his career – imagine how much he can still improve.”