Last night, the FC Barcelona youngling Pau Cubarsi once again awed the world with his performance in the top European competition against a side as threatening as Napoli.
The defender, only seventeen years old, was able not only to hold himself against attackers as dangerous as Victor Osimhen and Kvisha Kvaratskhelia, but also imposed himself as he got the MVP award for his performance in this game.
The center-back’s impressive performance was clearly showcased by his statistics, as he recovered 10 balls while losing it only once. He also made eight clearances and gave eight key passes. The defender was once again given the responsibility to get the ball out of the defense by Xavi, and he once again performed this task with perfection.
However, beyond the stats, it was the consistency with which the defender played that really made him stand out, and as SPORT has noted, with this overall excellent performance, the youngster is now primed for a position with the Spanish national team, for which De La Fuente is going to make a call this coming Friday.
He is already on the pre-list for the selection, and his links with the national team are going to remain a topic of debate in the media for months to come, especially with the UEFA EURO 2024 and the Olympic Games scheduled later this year.
But the defender himself was not as concerned with his national team call-up as he was for progressing with Barcelona, as he himself commented: “I’ll be paying a bit more attention to the Champions League. There will be more opportunities for the national team.”
While getting a call-up to the senior Spain side will definitely be a big achievement for their player, Barcelona are still wary of him being overused by his national team. The Catalans do not want him to participate both in the EURO and the Olympics, especially after considering Pedri’s experiences in the past.
