"He's almost as big of an anomaly as Lamine” - Fans salute ‘underrated’ Barcelona star for display in 4-0 win over Real Madrid

Barcelona fans have lavished praise on defender Pau Cubarsi on social media after the club's 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on October 26. The victory cemented Barcelona's position atop the LaLiga table with 30 points in 11 games. Real Madrid, meanwhile, are second with 24 points.

Barcelona's backline consisting of Alejandro Balde, Inigo Martinez, Pau Cubarsi, and Jules Kounde kept superstars Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius Jr. at bay. Among them, Cubarsi was especially brilliant with his defensive discipline.

The La Masia graduate maintained an impressive passing accuracy of 91% (43/47) and won three out of five attempted ground duels in the game. Furthermore, he recorded three tackles and two interceptions to stop the incessant attacks piled on by the home side during the latter half of the game.

(The stats are taken from Sofascore on October 27. This site may change the data at any time as per its prerogative.)

Fans on X raved about Cubarsi, referring to him as one of the most underrated prodigies in Hansi Flick's side. Some even put him on par with Lamine Yamal.

"A 17-year-old Pau Cubarsi held a high-line to perfection against Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr at the Bernabeu. We have NEVER seen anything like this — don’t let it go unnoticed, please. He’s almost as big of an anomaly as Lamine," wrote a fan.

"Cubarsi is absolutely insane. So often, Kounde pressed high, leaving Cubarsi alone to mark Vini—and he still handled him brilliantly. He’s not just a great ball-playing CB; his defensive ability and aggression are seriously underrated," noted another.

"Pau Cubarsi leading the defensive line in an El Clasico at age 17 is something incredible when you deep it. Everyone talks about Lamine Yamal but this Cubarsi kid is just as impressive," wrote one Blaugrana faithful.

One fan quipped that the 17-year-old had juggernauts like Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr., Harry Kane and others in his pocket, writing:

"17 years old Cubarsi has Mbappe, Vinicius, Harry Kane, Muller, Koman,and Gnabry in his pocket."

"This CUBARSI is a Gold Mine," raved another.

"Cubarsi has been so good yet again! To dominate like that in an El Classico at only 17 is INSANE! Barcelonas future are in safe hands," inferred one user.

A potent weapon for Hansi Flick's defense this season has been the offside trap. Pau Cubarsi maintained discipline in holding the backline so that they could catch Real Madrid attackers in an offside position and neutralize their threats.

The plan worked as Los Blancos were flagged offside a whopping 12 times throughout the game.

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Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany lavished praise on Pau Cubarsi ahead of Barcelona's clash against Bayern Munich

FC Barcelona v FC Bayern München - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD3 - Source: Getty

Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany raved about Pau Cubarsi ahead of Barcelona's Champions League group stage clash against Bayern Munich at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on October 23.

Kompany was among the best centre-backs in the world during his time. The Belgian spent most of his career at Manchester City, playing 360 games for the Sky Blues. He won four Premier Leagues, two FA Cups and four League Cups among other honors with the Cityzens.

Ahead of his side's clash against Barcelona, Kompany said (via Fabrizio Romano on X):

“Pau Cubarsí is one of the future defensive leaders in world football for sure. Not just playing for Barca, but against the level of opposition at his age is very special and very rare."

Barcelona went on to thrash Bayern Munich 4-1 with Brazilian superstar Raphinha bagging a hat-trick.