In the 2023-24 season, one of the FC Barcelona players who made the biggest jump in his career was the center-back Pau Cubarsi. The youngster did not only make rapid leaps within the youth level, but also got up to the first team, and established himself as an important defender for Xavi in the second half of the season.
With his amazing performances at such a young age, the youngster is currently not only one of the best young defenders but also one of the best young players in the world, as was clear from one of the recent rankings for the upcoming Golden Boy.
Although he did not play at such a high level, another young defender who made the jump from the youth level to the first team at Barcelona was Oscar Mingueza. He joined the first team in 2020, but unable to keep an important role in the squad, left Barcelona to join Celta Vigo back in 2022.
He is having a very good 2024-25 season with Vigo, and has already scored two goals and provided four assists in eight La Liga appearances.
As SPORT has reported, he appeared in an interview with a Spanish radio channel, and one of the topics which he addressed was Pau Cubarsi. The Celta Vigo player was full of praise for the Barcelona starlet, and also revealed that he knew him from his time at the Blaugrana club:
“It’s something that all of us Barça fans love to see: youth team players making their debut at such a young age. About Cubrasí… he’s a player I knew from the academy, from watching him… although I hadn’t seen a full game of his, and when he started playing, wow, I think it was a pleasant surprise for everyone.”
“He has an incredible level: to be playing for Barça and the national team at 17 years old, that’s something very, very difficult, and he does it with such personality and seriousness. It’s incredible.”
It is always good to see your talents recognized by other more experienced players, but with the praise that Cubarsi has collected over the last year, it now looks normal for other individuals to speak highly of him. Still, there is no doubt that playing at such a high level at such a young age is very difficult, and the youngster deserves all the credit he is being given.
