"I would give it to Raphinha" - Cubarsi backs Barca teammate for the Ballon d'Or

It is international football time and for interviews with international players. Pau Cubarsi, one of those who has to be a leader in Spain of the present and especially of the future, went through the microphones of ‘COPE’ to analyse his career, his first matches and to name Raphinha a favourite for the Ballon d'Or... ahead of Lamine Yamal.

At the age of 18, he has already established himself as a starting centre-back for Barcelona and could be one for Spain. Youth, however, does not weigh down his legs. "Some strikers have tried to tease me, but..." he confessed.

"They try to take me out of the game or want to chat a bit, but I'm there to deal with them. To talk, afterwards. There's someone who says to me: 'Kid, what are you doing here,' and so on. I laugh and leave," explained the Barcelona centre-back.

Although he came of age just a few months ago, Cubarsi already has a large number of games under his belt, “more than sixty,” he recalls. "I've changed a lot, both physically and technically. There are always things to improve and I still have to improve a lot, but I've changed a lot," he added.

"On the pitch I try to bring that calmness to the game. I always like to treat people with education and respect," said a player who says he "sleeps perfectly" before a big game.

Life has passed quickly for Cubarsi, who did not dream of "going so far" at this age: "I thought I would be playing for Barca Athletic, or maybe I would have a chance, but I would never have thought that I would be in the first team".

Finally, he spoke about who to give the Ballon d'Or to if he had to decide: "Right now, for the season and how it's going, I would give it to Raphinha. Lamine understands me, he would say Raphinha too".