Lamine Yamal right winger of Barcelona and Spain celebrates with Pau Cubarsi after scoring his sides second goal that was after disallowed by VAR revision during the LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27 match between Valencia CF and FC Barcelona at Estadi de Mestalla on September 6, 2026 in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Gill Clark Gill Clark is the site manager of Barca Blaugranes and joined in 2017. She has worked in sports media as a writer and editor for the best part of two decades and has been in love with the beautiful game for as long as she can remember.
Barcelona sporting director Deco has showered Pau Cubarsi with praise and says the young star is the “Lamine Yamal of center-backs.”
Cubarsi is still only 19 but is already key for club and country and has won La Liga and Copa del Rey titles as well as the World Cup.
While Yamal attracts most of the headlines, Deco says that Cubarsi is every bit as impressive as his team-mate.
“Cubarsí is the Lamine of the centre-backs, the most impressive talent there is at the moment,” he told RAC1.
“He has had a tremendous evolution. He has grown, he is a leader, he has corrected the small details. A centre-back can’t afford to make a mistake.”
Both Cubarsi and Lamine have been nominated for the 2026 Ballon d’Or award and are also up for the Kopa Trophy.
Yamal has already backed his team-mate to claim the prize, posting on Instagram after the nominations were announced, posting: “The only winner should be Pau Cubarsí.”