Pau Cubarsi: Meet 17-year-old defender who kept Osimhen quiet in Napoli’s loss to Barcelona in UCL

Pau Cubarsi put up a Man of the Match performance after being tasked with facing Victor Osimhen in Barcelona's Round of 16 second-leg tie against Napoli.

The youngster did not feature in the first leg, with Osimhen finding the back of the net against Inigo Martinez and Ronald Araujo.

The Spanish defender was included in the starting line-up for the second leg and did an amazing job against the Nigerian striker as the Catalans sealed a 3-1 win over Napoli.

Cubarsi was named the most valuable player of the match ahead of Robert Lewandowski, Ilkay Gundogan, Raphinha, and Joao Cancelo.

Who is Pau Cubarsi?

Cubarsi was born on January 22, 2007, in Bescano, a small town in the province of Girona and the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain.

The youngster began his career playing for Girona but arrived at La Masia in 2018 as an U12 player.

He progressed through the Barcelona academy and became the club's third-youngest player to debut in the UEFA Youth League, behind Lamine Yamal and Ilaix Moriba.

The Spanish youngster had his first taste of first-team football for Barcelona in April 2023 after being called up by manager Xavi Hernandez.

He signed his first professional contract with the club three months later and made his debut against Unionistas de Salamanca in the Copa del Rey and followed it up with a La Liga debut against Real Betis a day before his 17th birthday in January 2024.

On the international stage, the Barcelona youngster has represented Spain from under-15 to under-17 level and played in the FIFA U17 World Cup in the 2023/24 season, according to Barcelona's official website.

????????✨ The moment Pau Cubarsí was handed the MOTM award... look what it means! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/VotCIs7gOH

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) March 12, 2024