Pau Cubarsí: Pep Guardiola monitoring the progress of a teenager like ‘Puyol and Piqué'

The young defender made his Barcelona debut against Real Betis on Sunday.

Although it was only on Sunday, the day before his 17th birthday, that he played his first game for Barcelona, Pep Guardiola has been following the progress of Pau Cubarsí with interest for some time.

Guardiola is, according to this newspaper, keeping a close eye on his development. Barça could be well aware of this interest as they have renewed Cubarsí twice in the space of a few months (in the summer he signed his first professional contract until June 2026) to prevent the departure of the talented defender.

Joan Laporta does not want Barça to repeat previous mistakes like those of Gerard Piqué, Cesc Fabregas and Eric García. Cubarsí, whose idol is Carles Puyol, joined Barça’s Alevín B team in 2018. He has already played for the U-15s (nine games), U-16s (four) and U-17s (up to 17 games).

Over 1.80 metres tall, and still growing, some define him as “the perfect mix of Puyol and Piqué”. He combines the profile of a competitive player, who can also play out from the back, something that was displayed with his 93.5% pass success rate in the match against Betis. The coaches around him say that he is also tactically astute and knows how to read the game.

Márquez has his say

In an interview with Sport, Rafa Márquez, head coach of the Barcelona reserve team, praised the player, saying: “He reminds me of my beginnings. He has leadership and self-confidence. He is very intelligent when it comes to defending. For Xavi, his presence in the dressing room is also a blessing.