Pau Cubarsí interview: The Spain star talks France, Mbappé, and picturing himself lifting the World Cup

The press box at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas is buzzing at 10:00 a.m. Media members swarm the room as Spain’s stars come and go: Mikel Oyarzabal, Álex Baena, Borja Iglesias, Pedro Porro, Nico Williams… At the far end of the long hall appears Pau Cubarsí, wearing that now unmistakable scar - a battle wound from a Champions League match at Belgrade’s Little Maracanã. “Everything’s good. Just a lot of traveling, up and down...,” he says as he greets AS’s special correspondents before sitting for a shoot with photographer Miguel Ángel Morenatti. Spain will play only the second men’s World Cup semifinal in its history this Tuesday. And above all, it has reached this point thanks to its defensive solidity.

That is where this level-headed youngster from Catalonia comes in. Seemingly shy off the field, but possessed of an unbreakable competitive streak once he steps onto it. “Carles Puyol is my idol,” he says, in case anyone still had any doubts. Cubarsí, with 17, and Aymeric Laporte, 18, lead all center backs at this World Cup in possessions won in the attacking half. He also ranks third among defenders in key passes and fourth in progressive carries. In the quarterfinals against Belgium, Rudi Garcia dared him to dictate play from deep. Cubarsí made him pay, unleashing a shot that forced a rebound from Senne Lammens and ultimately led to Mikel Merino’s dramatic late winner.

“Puyol is my idol”

Pau Cubarsí

Cubarsí is already the under-20 player with the most minutes ever played at a men’s World Cup. He has logged 540 minutes, surpassing none other than Kylian Mbappé. “I may not be the most high-profile guy, but I’m starting to get used to all this,” he says as he settles into the conversation with AS. “It’s a unique tournament, something special, and your first one is always the most memorable. I’m very young, and getting to experience something like this is incredible. And having the coach’s trust makes me very proud,” he says when asked what memories he will take away from this World Cup. It is striking to see players his age competing at the Under-19 European Championship while he is already starring on the sport’s biggest stage. “Yesterday I spoke with Xavi Espart and Quim Junyent, the MVP,” Cubarsí says. “We’ve got a group chat with La Masia players who lived together during our academy days. We congratulated them on the incredible tournament they had. They didn’t concede a goal. And they scored 19. The work they’ve done is amazing. It feels like Lamine [Yamal] or I should be there with them, but instead we’re here at the World Cup...”

“I’m more intense by nature, more demanding, while Lamine is calmer and does things his own way”

Pau Cubarsí

The conversation quickly shifts to Lamine Yamal. Digging into those years at La Masia, many people point to Cubarsí as one of the key figures who helped guide the young Yamal after he arrived from Rocafonda: “I’m more intense by nature, more demanding, while Lamine is calmer and does things his own way. You can see it in the way he plays. It’s like he’s still playing at the neighborhood park.” Asked how he sees his teammate ahead of the showdown with France, Cubarsí leaves little room for doubt: “He’s doing great. He’s focused on what he needs to do and on helping the team. He knows people focus on his goals and assists, but he cares just as much about helping the group in other ways - the defensive work, pressing the fullback the way he knows how. Lamine is intimidating when he runs at defenders.”

Despite his age, Cubarsí has already gone up against every attacking monster in the French squad. “I trained with him a few times,” he says of Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, who left Barcelona just months before Cubarsí broke into the first team. “You always have to stay alert because he’s two-footed and can go either way.” Curiously, news of Dembélé’s move to PSG first exploded while Barcelona was on a U.S. tour in Dallas three years ago. Cubarsí also recalls for AS the Olympic final at Parc des Princes, where he came up against three other French stars: Désiré Doué, Michael Olise and Jean-Philippe Mateta: “It was a difficult game. We were down 1-0 against France, in Paris... We managed to turn it around to 3-1 But football is football, and they equalized. It felt like everything was falling apart, like we were done. But in the end we achieved something spectacular, something unique.”

And then there is Mbappé. A phenomenon Cubarsí has already faced in as many as six Clásicos. The record is a curious one. Mbappé has scored six goals against him, yet Barcelona has won five of those matches. Cubarsí refuses to be intimidated. “Scared? No. But everyone knows the qualities he has. Even when he’s not involved, he can change a game with one quick action. He’s unique, just like Lamine. You have to stay alert for all 90 minutes...”

“Scared? No. But everyone knows the qualities he has. He can change a game with one quick action”

Cubarsí on Mbappé

There is a clear sense of confidence about Cubarsí. Several factors may explain it. One is Hansi Flick, his head coach at Barcelona. “From the moment I arrived, he trusted me, even though I couldn’t be part of his first preseason because I was coming back from the Olympics. He told me I had good qualities but that I needed to keep developing them and make them even stronger. That’s helped me a lot, both as a player and as a person, to stay fully engaged. You train the way you play, and I’m very proud to have him as my coach.” The second is the support of veterans such as Laporte and Iñigo Martínez. “They’re very similar, and they’ve helped me a lot. They have more experience, and that’s an area where I still need to grow. Players like that push you, they have character, and that helps me. But I also try to bring my own strengths and help them however I can.” And finally, there is Cubarsí himself. “When I was 16, I was thinner. I’ve grown. Nobody needs to push me. I stay disciplined in the gym and with my recovery work. It comes naturally.”

Cubarsí dreams big. When asked whether he has pictured himself lifting the World Cup trophy, his answer comes quickly. “Yes, absolutely. Ever since you’re a kid, you imagine it. But when you’re actually here and getting close to the goal, you start imagining the celebration even more - and what it would feel like to lift that trophy.” Cubarsí takes off his microphone. “Otherwise, you guys are going to find out what goes on in the locker room...” Then he walks through the Cotton Bowl media room and disappears from view. France awaits.

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