Pau Cubarsi crowned a historic World Cup at just 19. The Barcelona defender stood among the pillars of Spain's coronation as world champions, scooping the FIFA Best Young Player award. On the biggest international stage, the honour confirmed the outstanding level he has been delivering for the Catalan side.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Sport", the young defender led the way throughout the competition. He proved one of the essential keys to Spain's exceptional defensive solidity, contributing to seven clean sheets in a rearguard that conceded only one goal in the entire tournament. Those figures reflect the scale of his performance on Spain's road to the title.
Beyond the numbers, Cubarsi showed strong personality on the ball, an ability to defend away from the penalty area and a footballing maturity beyond his years. He played the World Cup as a complete player, thriving against the world's best forwards and becoming an essential piece in the champions' line-up.
That performance earned praise from FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was keen to acknowledge his display publicly. Infantino sent a message to the Barcelona defender via social media, citing the saying that arriving late is better than never arriving at all while highlighting his individual award and his contribution to Spain's defence.
"At just 19 years of age, Pau Cubarsi delivered an exceptional participation at the 2026 World Cup with Spain, becoming the first defender to win the FIFA Best Young Player award!" Infantino said. "And after contributing to keeping seven clean sheets throughout the tournament, he will go down in history for his essential role in a defence that conceded only one goal."
The message rounds off an unforgettable World Cup for Cubarsi. He became a world champion, took the best young player honour and entered history as the first defender to win the FIFA award. And he still has a great deal of history left to write.