‘Hello, I’m Leo Messi, remember my name.’ The already legendary statement by the Argentine at only 17 years old could well have a reissue after Barça-Naples this Tuesday. Not because Pau Cubarsí spoke. He did it without speaking but setting a class in what was his debut in the Champions League. At 17 years old, the center-back appeared before all of Europe, completely nullifying Victor Osimhen, one of the most feared strikers.. Elected ‘MVP’ of the party, Pau is future but also very much present.
There was speculation in the run-up to the clash that Xavi would opt for the experience of Íñigo Martínez. What if avoiding overexposing the youth player, what if the environmental pressure… In the end, and after the Basque’s fiasco in the first leg, the coach used common sense. Cubarsí arrived at the clash bordering on perfection, making it impossible to find compelling reasons to sit him down.. And thank goodness, because the defender demonstrated, as the cliché goes, that age is just a number.
Pau was imperial throughout the 90 minutes but it was in the first quarter when his performance was more similar to those films not suitable for those under 18 years of age. Theirs was an exhibition compressed into just 15 minutes: two duels won against Osimhen and two long displacements of those that only the chosen ones see. As much or more merit than his recital was the fact that he was achieving it in his debut in the Champions League and with the maximum pressure that the institution was experiencing to reach the quarterfinals.
Contact but without penalty in the action with Osimhen
Pau’s only error occurred in the 33rd minute, when he lost his mark on a cross into the area. Di Lorenzo’s header was about to tie Napoli at two. Just three minutes later, the youth squad redeemed himself with a change of game of 40 meters that allowed us to overcome five rivals at once. His eyes see football like few others, his brain thinks about it like the chosen ones and his foot executes it like the great centre-backs of this sport.
In the second half, the ’33’ had a committed action in which Osimhen asked for a penalty for an alleged stomp. The replay showed that there was contact but not an infringement, which is why not even the referee reviewed the play on the monitor. Afterwards, Pau solidly cleared four or five aerial crosses, earning the ovation of Montjuïc.