Barça center back, PauCubarsí, was one step away from entering the Top‑10 of the Ballon d'Or, occupying 12th place in the final classification of the gala. At 19 years old, the player who was named best young player of the 2022 World Cup continues to establish himself as one of the most promising talents in world football.
Cubarsí was part of the 30 finalists who competed for the prestigious award. His final position, just behind JadonBellingham (11), was among the 10 closest contenders for the crown: Dembélé, Haaland, Kane, Kvaratskhelia, Mbappé, Messi, Olise, FabiánRuiz, Rodri and LamineYamal. The classification was published on the Ballon d'Or social networks, where the player was proudly announced in 12th place.
Although Cubarsí was scheduled to travel with the Barça delegation to London to attend the gala at the London Palladium, the defender decided to remain in Barcelona to recover after the last two intense matches against PSG and Real Madrid. The priority was preparation for the next match against Alavés, scheduled for Saturday at 9:00 p.m. at SpotifyCampNou.
In the list of finalists, Cubarsí surpassed players such as PSG centre-back Pacho, who ranked 20th, and other young talents such as JoãoNeves (19), Cucurella (18), FerranTorres (16), Vinicius (17), DeclanRice (15), Vitinha (14) and Hakimi (13). His recent performance has been key to maintaining his position among the best young players in the world.
With the Ballon d'Or already closed, Cubarsí's future focuses on continuing to improve his game and consolidate his place in the Spanish team. The next challenge will be the confrontation against Alavés, where Barça will seek to maintain its dominance in the League and demonstrate the quality of its young promises.