It was one of those moments where it felt like a bit of a shame that the offside flag had been raised. Kylian Mbappe certainly didn’t seem to notice the linesman’s wave as he lined up a shot during the first-half of Paris Saint-Germain’s thrilling Champions League quarter-final first-leg with Barcelona, despite making his run a second or two prematurely.
Manchester United have been linked with perhaps the finest teenage defender in European football in recent weeks, and this was a neat little summation as to exactly why.
Cubarsi, showcasing remarkable recovery pace, tracked down Mbappe and threw himself in front of the Frenchman’s shot. Of course, it counted for nothing in the end. But if there were any concerns that the 17-year-old would be overawed by such an occasion, then they were dispelled with the sort of perfectly-timed interception that is fast becoming the teenager’s trademark.
Manchester United like Barcelona wonderkid
“Pau Cubarsi is an incredible player,” Barcelona boss Xavi told reporters after his side’s eventual 3-2 win, secured via an Andreas Christensen header late on.
“He’s been world class. Guys, it’s not normal for a 17 years old to perform like that. I ran out of words to praise him. He’s at an exceptional level. He competes like an older player. It’s just insane.”
Xavi, of course, was part of that all-conquering Barcelona side who dominated the continent alongside fellow La Masia graduates Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Andres Iniesta, Pedro and Lionel Messi. It feels a little premature to compare the generation of Pau Cubarsi, Yamine Lamal and Fermin Lopez to those Blaugrana greats, but the comparisons exist for a reason.
According to Sport, Barcelona have been rendered a little vulnerable by the £8 million release clause in Cubarsi’s contract, Manchester United’s pursuit of a talented young centre-half leading a trail to the Camp Nou. Unsurprisingly, Xavi’s side are hoping to remove that clause as soon as possible.
They also want to replace it with one worth one billion euros (Fabrizio Romano).
You know, just to be safe.
Rio Ferdinand impressed
“Wonderful football, wonderful moments, goals galore, this competition never ceases to amaze me. It does it every year,” the legendary Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand tells TNT Sports after that peach in Paris.
“You come into it and wonder, ‘What are we going to get?’ Bang. Goals, crazy performances and people that come out of the woodwork.
“These young kids at Barca, they were tremendous today. You look at the performances of players at this level. Sometimes you need that fearlessness of the likes of Cubarsi and Yamal coming in.”
Cubarsi, unsurprisingly given his La Masia background, is as comfortable with the ball as he is without it. There were a couple of passes, rattled through the lines at just the right pace and in just the right place, which were reminiscent of Pique at his peak.
“You think what we were doing at 17, 18 years old… There’s no way we could have gone in there and performed at this level with such energy and the aura,” Ferdinand adds of Cubarsi, who only turned 17 in January and already has two caps for the senior Spain side.
“The way their chests are out like ‘I’m meant to be here’. It was unreal. Really good to see.”