López, Yamal and Cubarsí - Barca hint at bright future with youthful Champions League success

Amidst a season of torment and disappointment on the pitch, Barcelona fans were treated to a rare ray of hope on Wednesday night as their team dispatched of a strong Napoli side to claim their spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. And along the way the LaLiga side not only showed great promise and hope for the future, but also broke a few records in the European competition. 

In starting Lamine Yamal, Fermín López and Pau Cubarsí in the starting XI, Xavi made Champions League history by fielding two players under the age of 18: Cubarsí (17 years and 50 days) and Yamal (16 years and 243 days). The former also became the youngest ever defender to play for Barcelona in a European tie and was awarded the MVP award by UEFA after the match, due to his performances against a Napoli side that boasted some exceptional talents, such as star striker Victor Osimhen. 

Indeed, while Barcelona may be languishing in third place in the Spanish top-flight and actively considering which head coach will come next after Xavi departs at the end of the season, there are clear signs that the next manager will have a strong foundation of exceptional young players to pick from. When we add the likes of Gavi and Pedri to the aforementioned trio of prospects, it points to a Barcelona team full of promise. In fact, in this season’s Champions League campaign the club have registered no less than 11 former academy players in their squad. Which is the second highest tally of any club left in the competition, behind only Eredivisie side PSV (12) and most notably more than twice as many as Real Madrid (five) can boast of. 

Who is Pau Cubarsí?

Although Cubarsi spent much of the first half of the season sitting on Barcelona’s bench, he has since become a regular starter in the heart of Xavi’s defence since the turn of the year and in many ways established himself as one of the club’s most dependable defenders. “Pau Cubarsí is a Barça DNA centre back because he knows how to win the ball very well, in fact for Xavi he is the best he has,” notes Transfermarkt LaLiga expert Ivan Turmo when asked about the young talent. “He has very few flaws and shows a lot of maturity despite being a youth player. On the other hand, he is very forceful but without the need to play fast. His intention to catch the ball, raise his head and pick out smart passes, which says a lot about the maturity of such a young player.” 

Although Cubarsi is unlikely to feature in the next Spain international team, there’s little doubt that Luis de la Fuente will call up the Barcelona player for the nation’s friendies ahead of Euro 2024. And if the 17-year-old talent can keep his starting spot at Barcelona for the remainder of the season, he may well find himself thrust into the Spain team ahead of schedule. Either way, there’s little doubt that he’ll be one of the key players that the next Barcelona manager will build his defence around next season. 

Who is Fermín López? 

Although López isn’t your typical La Masia graduate due to him joining the club at the age of 14 from Betis, there’s little doubt that he has developed into a remarkable young player thanks to the club’s excellent youth academy. Last season, the attacker was sent on loan to third-tier side Linares Deportivo, where he bagged 12 goals and four assists in 37 league games playing primarily as a winger or attacking midfielder. Ahead of this season, López featured in a pre-season friendly against Real Madrid and impressed with a goal and an assist. After the match, Xavi was full of praise for the young talent. "I like what I see of Fermín,” noted the Barcelona manager. “I like his self-confidence, that he dares, that he is not afraid, that he asks for the ball and plays easily and simply.” 

Whether as  central midfielder, winger on the left or right flank or even as an attacking midfielder behind the striker, López has quickly established himself as a useful squad player for Xavi this season. So far in all competitions, the 20-year-old talent has made 21 appearances in LaLiga, as well as nine more across the three cup competitions. And, as he made abundantly clear with Barcelona’s opening goal against Napoli on Wednesday night, the young attacker is more than capable of performing at the highest level.