Pau Cubarsí
Spanish footballer (born 2007)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pau Cubarsí Paredes (born 22 January 2007) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team. He is considered one of the best young defenders in the world.[2][3]
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Cubarsí with Spain in 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Pau Cubarsí Paredes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 22 January 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bescanó, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Barcelona | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2018 | Girona | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2024 | Barcelona | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Barcelona B | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Barcelona | 85 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Spain U15 | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Spain U16 | 4 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Spain U17 | 18 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Spain U21 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Spain U23 | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Spain | 20 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:07, 13 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 22:05, 19 July 2026 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Formerly a Girona youth product, Cubarsí transitioned into being a La Masia talent, and he later made his senior debut for Barcelona on 18 January 2024, just days before his 17th birthday. He later won the La Liga in 2025 and 2026 with the club.
A former Spain youth international, Cubarsí represented his country at all youth ranks from under-15 to under-23 level. In March 2024, he made his senior debut for Spain in a friendly against Colombia aged 17. In May 2026, he made the squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Spain won in the final, and he was awarded Young Player of the Tournament.
Early life
Born in Bescanó, Girona, Catalonia,[4][5] to Gloria Paredes and Robert Cubarsí, he has an older sister, Irene, a physiotherapist.[6]
Cubarsí's first language is Catalan. While playing for Spain at the Olympic Games in 2024, he said that he rarely took part in interviews because he was not fluent speaking Spanish, having only ever lived in Catalonia and used his native language.[7]
Club career
Cubarsí began his career with Girona, before the move to Barcelona in 2018.[8] Having progressed through the academy, he became the third-youngest Barcelona player to debut in the UEFA Youth League, behind Lamine Yamal and Ilaix Moriba, when he started in an eventual 1–1 draw with Czech side Viktoria Plzeň.[8]
In April 2023, he trained with the first team for the first time, having been called up by manager Xavi.[9] He signed his first professional contract with the club three months later, on 8 July.[10] He was included in Barcelona's pre-season squad ahead of the 2023–24 season.[11]
On 18 January 2024, Cubarsí made his first team debut against Unionistas de Salamanca in the Copa del Rey, being subbed on in the 46th minute.[12] His first start came in the next match against Real Betis in La Liga, a day before his 17th birthday.[13] Two months later, on 12 March, he was named Player of the Match on his UEFA Champions League debut in a 3–1 victory over Napoli in the round of 16 second leg, in which he became the youngest player to debut at 17 years and 50 days in the competition's knockout phase, breaking former Bayern Munich defender David Alaba's previous record of 17 years and 258 days.[14][15] On 10 April, Cubarsí has become the youngest defender to start in the quarter finals of the Champions League aged only 17 years and 79 days breaking the previous record held by CSKA Moscow's Georgi Shchennikov.[16] On 9 May, Barcelona announced that they had reached an agreement with Cubarsí for an extension until 30 June 2029, which has a 500 million euro buyout clause.[17][18]
On 25 February 2025, Cubarsí headed in his first goal for Barcelona, in a Copa Del Rey semi-final against Atlético Madrid which ended in a 4–4 draw.[19] In July, Sports Illustrated and ESPN ranked Cubarsí as the ninth and sixth-best centre-back in world football respectively.[20][21]
On 7 January 2026, Cubarsí started in Barcelona's 5–0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the 2026 Supercopa de España semi‑final, earning praise for a composed display in defense on a big stage.[22] In the first leg of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals against Atlético Madrid on 8 April, Cubarsí was sent off after a VAR review overturned his initial yellow card in the 43rd minute, with Julián Alvarez converting the resulting free kick as Barcelona lost 2–0.[23]
International career
Cubarsí has represented Spain from under-15 to senior level.[24] In March 2024, he was called up to the senior Spain team for the first time by coach Luis de la Fuente, debuting in a 1–0 friendly loss to Colombia.[25] He came on as a substitute in the 83rd minute replacing Aymeric Laporte, in which he became the youngest defender to ever play for Spain at the age of 17 years one month and 28 days, breaking the record previously held by Sergio Ramos in 2005.[26]
On 27 May 2024, Cubarsí was named in the 29-man preliminary squad for the UEFA Euro 2024.[27] However, on 7 June, he was excluded from the final squad prior to the tournament.[28]
In July 2024, Cubarsí was selected in the Spain under-23 squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[29] He and Spain would go on to win the Olympic gold medal at the men's football event in the Olympics.[30] On 25 May 2026, he was included in Spain's 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[31] Following Spain's victory in the final, Cubarsí won the Young Player of the Tournament Award.[32][33][34] At 19 years and 178 days old, he became the fourth-youngest player to feature in a World Cup final, behind only Pelé, Giuseppe Bergomi and his teammate Lamine Yamal.[35]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 13 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | Copa del Rey | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barcelona Atlètic | 2023–24 | Primera Federación | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Barcelona | 2023–24 | La Liga | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| 2024–25 | La Liga | 35 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 13[a] | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 56 | 1 | |
| 2025–26 | La Liga | 31 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 10[a] | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 48 | 1 | |
| Total | 85 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 128 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 94 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 137 | 2 | ||
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearances in Supercopa de España
International
- As of match played 19 July 2026[36]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2024 | 5 | 0 |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 10 | 0 | |
| Total | 20 | 0 | |
Honours
Barcelona
Spain U23
Spain
- FIFA World Cup: 2026[43]
- UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2024–25[44]
Individual
- FIFA World Cup Young Player Award: 2026[45]
- La Liga Team of the Season: 2024–25[46], 2025–26[47]
- La Liga U23 Player of the Month: March 2024,[48] April 2026[49]
- IFFHS Men's Youth (U20) World Team: 2024[50]
- IFFHS Men's Youth (U20) UEFA Team: 2024[51]
