“I’m sorry, Mr Mbappe, but the boss told me to pocket you.”The phrase, accompanied by a photo of a boy of about four with chubby cheeks and big blue eyes, started circulating on social media after Spain’s 2-0 win against France in the World Cup semi-finals.The boy in the picture was Pau Cubarsi when he was about four years old. Now, the 19-year-old has just won the World Cup and been named its best young player.
“Lo siento señor Messi, no le puedo dejar pasar. Luis de la Fuente me ha dicho que tengo que ganar el Mundial”
Qué Mundial ha hecho Don Pau Cubarsí 🌟 pic.twitter.com/4yPOZXeTql
— DAZN España (@DAZN_ES) July 20, 2026
That Spain conceded only once all tournament had a lot to do with Cubarsi’s fine defending. He also happens to be a brilliant passer of the ball, which was also key to Spain’s dominance in the latter stages of the tournament.He and Spain had to suffer in the final against Argentina. Cubarsi was sent flying by Enzo Fernandez in stoppage time at the end of 90 minutes, a challenge that led to Fernandez’s second yellow card and sending off. He also produced a miraculous clearance with Argentina pushing for an equaliser at the end of extra time to prevent substitute Marcos Senesi from scoring.All the while, he was unruffled at the heart of Spain’s defence, with the most touches, successful passes, passing accuracy, line-breaking passes and clearances of anyone on the pitch. He became just the second player on record to complete more than 100 passes in a World Cup final and the below graphic shows how he set the tempo for his side.It was the same story in the earlier knockouts. Cubarsi made 91 passes with a 97.8 per cent success rate in the 2-1 quarter-final win against Belgium.Against France, so many people’s favourites for the title, his Real Madrid rival Mbappe did not get a look in. All of this at his first major international tournament.Cubarsi is part of the Barcelona academy generation (born in 2007) that also produced Lamine Yamal. They were team-mates coming through La Masia, before Yamal moved up to the senior side for the 2023-24 season. In January 2024, Cubarsi made his own senior Barca debut in a Copa del Rey match against third-tier side Unionistas de Salamanca, just days before turning 17.He has not looked back, even if his development has arguably been overshadowed by Yamal’s remarkable rise.Cubarsi has been a regular in Barca’s side for two and a half years now, and his breakthrough is just as impressive as Yamal’s — for his consistency in a position where the smallest mistake often leads to your team conceding a goal.The teenager is also the closest thing Spain have had to the World Cup and European Championship-winning centre-back Gerard Pique in a long time.He is composed, calm and creative. And, while his maturity at this tournament might have surprised some, he has already shown it at Barca, one of the most demanding clubs in world football.Pau Cubarsi with the World Cup trophy (Calvin Hernandez/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)That calmness stems from his background and the tiny rural Catalan village of Estanyol — population 195 — that he calls home. Cubarsi comes from a family of carpenters. For an end-of-school project aged 17, made his own wooden stool, carrying on a family tradition.The best way to describe Estanyol is what one might imagine while walking through The Shire in The Lord of the Rings — all rich meadows surrounded by volcanic hills, narrow lanes winding between them with wild poppies on either side, undisturbed by traffic.In 2018, his parents told him he was signing for Barcelona aged 11 on a car journey back from coastal town Lloret de Mar. His reaction was the same as any Catalan child’s would have been: he started shouting with sheer happiness, his legs kicking the air while still wearing his seatbelt. Once they got home, he jumped out of his seat and started running.He moved to La Masia’s residence for young players in the academy who live outside Catalonia. Barca made an exception for him — he lived in Catalonia, near Girona, but his home village was so remote it made sense for him to be in-house.Despite being a regular at Barcelona since the age of 17, Cubarsi remained there until several months after becoming an adult in 2025.Those close to him felt it was important to keep him grounded, given that he had made his debut so young. But it did mean that, after playing in Champions League matches, he would return to sleep at the academy’s residence with the other players his age. Whenever he had time off, he headed to his oasis of peace in Estanyol.His family’s neighbours say you can regularly find him helping his parents with their carpentry work on days off from his Barca duties, when he takes off his boots and becomes Pau again.“When I’m there, my only aim is to have a nice time with my family and closest friends,” he told The Athletic in October. “There’s no other worries or distractions. When I play football, I have that same feeling; (I’m) focused and calm.”When he left La Masia, it wasn’t to go and live on his own or be with his friends. He went to live with his older sister, Irene, who is studying to become a physiotherapist. His surroundings remain familiar, even though his situation has completely changed.Cubarsi plays like a veteran, but he still carries himself with the smile and innocence of that little boy kicking his legs in the air after finding out he was joining Barca. His face does bear signs of the battles he has been through on the pitch — namely after an accidental boot to the face in a Champions League game against Red Star Belgrade left him needing 10 stitches.
