Although it is becoming clear with every passing match-day that Barcelona are going to end it without any piece of silverware, the current season has still been a memorable one for the Catalans for several reasons.
The most prominent of these reasons is the way in which some of the academy prospects have made their leap to the highest levels, with Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi having surprised the most in this regard.
Lamine Yamal had been showing his world-class talents only at the age of 16 since the start of the season, but in the last few months, it has been the defender, Pau Cubarsi, who has announced himself to the world of football.
Barcelona were keenly impressed by the youngster’s passing, positioning, and courage in facing duels when he was still playing at the youth levels, and Xavi also showed no hesitation in engaging him in the first team dynamics, a bet that has paid off enormously.
However, even before he made the jump to the first team, it was not only Barcelona who were impressed by the footballer, but the scouts from some other top European clubs were also in awe of his abilities.
This was particularly the case for Manchester City, who have a very vast network of scouts who keep a close eye on talents of Cubarsi’s age group, and had already successfully procured emerging talents like Eric Garcia and Pablo Maffeo in the past.
The Citizens were clearly impressed by the center-back and showed immense interest in him before he eventually signed a new contract with Barcelona.
As SPORT has reported, there was one key reason why the Premier League side wanted Cubarsi so badly. Since Pep Guardiola’s appointment as the head coach, Manchester City have played with a very specific style of football, one in which play starts right from the center-backs, and then passes through the midfield to the attackers.
Cubarsi’s skills made him a perfect defender for such a style of play. The way he orients himself and the skills he has been learning at the Barcelona academy make him a specialist in advancing the ball from the defensive line, and it is easy to understand why Guardiola would have wanted to have the youngster in his team.
