Barcelona's 17-year-old center back: Goes to school in the afternoon, plays El Clasico in the evening

Pau Cubarsi (17 years old) is one of the most talented young defenders of La Masia academy (Barcelona). Exactly 1 week ago, Cubarsi started in Barcelona's 4-0 victory over Real Madrid. Many fans joked that Cubarsi had to call Inigo Martinez (33 years old) - the defender playing next to him at Bernabeu that day, "uncle".

Barcelona's top central defender pair includes Pau Cubarsi (17 years old) and Inigo Martinez (33 years old).

After the great victory in the El Clasico, Pau Cubarsi talked to the media of FC Barcelona about his life of studying and playing football. Cubarsi said he still had to bring his books to the training center of La Blaugrana and do his homework like many of his peers.

"I'm in my second year of high school. In the morning, I practice with the team and then go home to rest. In the afternoon, I go to school from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.," Cubarsi said.

In the 2024-25 season, Barcelona will mainly compete in La Liga and the Champions League. Playing in European competitions often requires the team to travel abroad, affecting Cubarsi's studies. In case he cannot return to Spain in time, Cubarsi will have to borrow books from friends to make up for his studies.

"I often have to travel to another city or another country to compete in the Champions League. I don't go to school if the team plays far away from home. Every time I skip class, I have to borrow books from friends or ask for lecture summaries so I don't miss any knowledge," Cubarsi added.

In addition to Cubarsi, a group of young players such as Lamine Yamal, Marc Casado, and Fermin Lopez all study and play for Barcelona. Yamal and Casado are finishing their high school program, while Fermin is studying for a bachelor's degree in Physical Education and Sports Science at a university in Barcelona.

Pau Cubarsi was born on January 22, 2007. Barcelona's scouts discovered Cubarsi's talent while he was playing for Girona, specifically at the Powerade Cup.

Jordi Roura and Aureli Altimira - 2 former Barcelona coaches said Cubarsi possesses great qualities to become a good center-back: "Pau suits us because of his intelligent footballing mind, personality, 'good' feet and is very good at defending. He is very aggressive and fierce".

Barcelona also recruited him based on his large body. Currently, Cubarsi is only 17 years old but is already 1m84 tall, not inferior to the top strikers in La Liga.

After 2 years playing for the U18 and U19 teams, Cubarsi was promoted to play for the Barcelona first team from January 2024. In the summer of 2024, Cubarsi made a strong impression when helping the Spanish team win the Olympic gold medal in men's football. Cubarsi is currently Barcelona's number 1 center-back under coach Hansi Flick.

When asked about the most talented player in Barcelona's youth team, who is likely to win the Ballon d'Or in the future, Pau Cubarsi chose Lamine Yamal: "At the moment, everyone knows the name Lamine. I knew him before, from the days when he played at the academy. Lamine Yamal has enough qualities to win the Ballon d'Or in the future."

Thanh Loc

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/trung-ve-17-tuoi-cua-barcelona-chieu-di-hoc-toi-da-sieu-kinh-dien-ar905157.html