Pau Cubarsí

Cubarsi won the Young Player award at the 2026 World Cup, the first defender to do so since the prize began in 2006, after Spain conceded once in eight matches, the fewest ever by a champion. In the final he was fouled by Enzo Fernandez for the Argentina midfielder's second yellow card and a 93rd-minute red, before substitute Ferran Torres won the match for Spain 1-0 after extra time. His shot had already set up Mikel Merino's 88th-minute winner in the quarter-final, spilled into Merino's path by Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

Cubarsi is a centre-back who broke into Barcelona's first team as a teenager, making his debut under Xavi Hernandez in January 2024 during the 2023-24 season, and quickly established himself as a first-choice defender under successive coaches for his composure in possession and reading of the game. He made his senior debut for Spain in 2024 and has since become a regular fixture in the national side's back line.

His emergence has been treated as one of the more significant defensive breakthroughs in Spanish football in recent seasons, and his 2026 World Cup, from the Belgium assist to the Young Player award and a foul won in the final, underlined a defender contributing at both ends of the pitch.