Barcelona youngster opens up on World Cup dream after Spain top group: ‘I’m so happy’
Spain may not have been at their clinical best at the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far, but they still managed to top Group H ahead of Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cabo Verde.
Barcelona have an eight-man contingent representing La Roja at the marquee tournament, and perhaps the standout so far after the group-stage games is Pau Cubarsi.
The La Masia graduate is playing his first World Cup like a defender who has been at this level for years, but away from the pitch, he knows exactly how special the moment is.
Speaking after Spain finished top of their group, Cubarsi said:
“I’m living a dream by being able to enjoy my first World Cup. Having my family close to me is something that makes me incredibly proud.”
“They’re always by my side supporting me, and I think that’s the key to feeling calm enough to play my style of football. I’m very happy to have them here with me.”
That calm is exactly what Barcelona fans recognise. Cubarsi rarely looks rushed, even when the match becomes physical or the opponent tries to press him high.
Cubarsi stood out for Spain vs Uruguay. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Asked what Spain need to improve, he said:
“We know we competed really well today. We also know the upcoming matches will require us to fight even harder because it’s now the knockout stage, and I believe the team is ready.”
“Sometimes games become more complicated, but with the right mentality and everyone staying united, I think we can achieve great things.”
Spain build from a strong defensive base
Cubarsi also explained the difficulty of the match, saying:
“We knew today’s match would require us to be extremely precise on the ball. Maybe we weren’t at the beginning, but we improved gradually. We had to find spaces, and it wasn’t easy because they were pressing us as well.”
“I think our objective today was to compete at the highest level and get the victory. We’ll use the rest days to work on the areas we need to improve, but we leave this match confident because we competed really well.”
His own performance was again remarkably clean. Told he had made only two mistakes and finished with a 98 percent success rate, Cubarsi replied:
“I try to help the team with my qualities, whether it’s playing out from the back or physically.”
“I try to improve every day to earn the coach’s trust and become a starter. And if that doesn’t happen, I still help the team because we’re a big family and everyone is here to contribute.”
That answer says a lot about his maturity. At 19, he is already speaking like someone who understands the dynamics, and despite being a starter, he is humble enough to work for it.
Barça’s young leader keeps growing
Cubarsi has been highly impressive at the World Cup. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
Cubarsi then spoke about Spain as a group and added:
“We’re focusing on ourselves. We’ve just finished the group stage at the top, which was the main goal, and now we need to rest and prepare for the next match.”
Clean sheets are key for Spain
La Roja are yet to concede a single goal at this tournament, and when asked about the clean sheets, he said:
“The key is to keep clean sheets because we know the quality we have in attack. Defensively, I think we’ve started really well. Unai and the entire back line have been outstanding, and I believe the most important thing is to continue keeping clean sheets.”
Asked to rate Spain’s group-stage performance, he said:
“At the beginning, we perhaps didn’t start in the best way. World Cup openers are always a bit difficult, but after that we found more rhythm and settled into the matches. I think we’ve improved step by step. We’re now at the level we wanted to reach.”
Finally, asked how he stays calm when battling forwards like Darwin Nunez, Cubarsi answered:
“I just be myself on the pitch. I think there’s no specific age for that. You have to give everything you’ve got for your teammates and win every one-on-one duel. That’s what I try to do, I try to improve every day and I’ll keep doing so.”
Barcelona fans have known for a while just how good Cubarsi is, but the 19-year-old is now going global with his performances for Spain.
Aymeric Laporte and the teenager have formed one of the best central defensive partnerships at the World Cup, and they will be key to how far Spain can go at this year’s tournament.
Source: SPORT
