Pau Cubarsí interview: Barcelona defender on his playing principles
Monday, September 7, 2026
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"I never like to lose," Barcelona's 19-year-old central defender tells UEFA ahead of the new Champions League campaign. "Not in football, not at home when I'm playing a board game, not even playing pool with my father."
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Having grown up in the small town Vilablareix, central defender Pau Cubarsí came through Barcelona's La Masia academy and is now impressing at the highest level in the UEFA Champions League.
Having won the FIFA World Cup with Spain this summer, the 19-year-old is gearing up for a new continental campaign with Hansi Flick's side, and while he says he has come on a lot since making his senior debut at the age of 16 in January 2024, he tells UEFA that the lessons at La Masia continue to shape him.
This interview was conducted on 29 August 2026.
On his footballing philosophy
I've always been told that I'm a very hard-working guy, that I always try to show in training that I'm ready to play. I think that's the top thing coaches have told me: that desire, that ambition I always have to play and try to do my best. That means approaching training as fully as possible, trying to train as hard as if it were a match, to have that confidence in yourself and the coach too, and to have that desire for the match to start, to be a starter, and to play really well.
It's about trying to face each day as if it were your last, because you never know what might happen, but trying to take care of yourself, take care of your diet, take care of your body, because in the end I think that's the most important thing for your performance. And if you're focused on doing things right every day, then you'll have the coach's trust, and when you go out there, if you're true to yourself and things go well, then you've got it for sure.
On his playing style
I'd describe myself as a strong character on the pitch, who keeps calm under pressure while always looking to play the ball out from the back and win one-on-one battles. I think what defines me most is my ability to play the ball out from the back, which I've learned here at Barça's academy. We've been dominating the tempo and building play from the back since we were very young, and that's what really defines my playing style.
It [was] a dream of mine since I was little [to join Barcelona' youth ranks], and here they create football players, but they also teach you how to be a great person, and I think that's the key – the values of the club, the things they transmit to you when you're living here, the things you have to improve and keep doing well, and I think that mix of training, building camaraderie with everyone who lives there, helping each other, and above all having dinner with your friends you're training with and having a good time is a magnificent thing that always stays with you.
On how he has changed since making his senior debut in 2024
I have a bit more experience, I've also gained more muscle mass; I'm bigger now. I've also become more competitive. I've grown in that sense of always trying to win, although I think I already had that inside me. I was a kid who was just starting out, and now I think I've become a better football player and things are much clearer to me now.
From the outside I might seem like a good little angel, but when I have to get angry or something is happening that I don't like, then I show my true colours, because I never like to lose, not in football, not at home when I'm playing a board game, not even playing pool with my father. I never want to lose.
On his advice to young players
The most important thing is that they don't rush things, but enjoy the process. They should gain experience and make friends because, when all is said and done, teams are made up of people who become lifelong friends. They should enjoy every moment and give their all in every training session and every match to show what they're capable of, and to demonstrate their ambition to succeed.