Pau Cubarsi reacts to Real Madrid not showing up for the Ballon d’Or ceremony | OneFootball

This year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony was one that FC Barcelona was heavily involved in when it came to the awards themselves. For La Blaugrana, it was a successful year for their women’s team and also for their wonderful youngsters. Ultimately, Barcelona ended up taking home quite a few major awards from Paris.

Lamine Yamal, for instance, was the winner of the Kopa Trophy at this edition of the Ballon d’Or ceremony. Given to the best Under-21 player of the previous year, the Barcelona prodigy was thoroughly deserving of the award and very few would make an argument that someone other than him had a fair claim for it.

However, one award that had a lot of controversy over it was the men’s Ballon d’Or itself. Ultimately, Manchester City midfielder Rodri ended up winning it over Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior.

While there remains a divided public opinion over the eventual winner, Real Madrid’s decision to boycott and not show up for the event did not sit well with the majority of people involved.

Even Pau Cubarsi, one of the final nominees for the Kopa Trophy, was asked about his opinion on Real Madrid’s decision. As highlighted by Marca, the young Barcelona defender compared it to the fact that he and another one of his teammates ended up showing up as well despite not winning any individual award:

“I didn’t think about whether one or the other would come. Their decision must be respected. If they didn’t want to go, we have to respect that. We wanted to be there in that moment, even if you don’t win, because it’s a good honor just to be there. Dani and I went without winning it because being among the top is already a great reward.”

This sense of maturity and understanding of formalities is something most players at his age do not value as much as he does. Despite being only 17 years old, Pau Cubarsi thinks and plays like a mature veteran who has lived through everything a footballer can experience. Yet, even at this age, the youngster’s quality remains surreal on the pitch as well.

For Cubarsi, however, a goal for the next Ballon d’Or ceremony will likely be to win the Kopa Trophy after Lamine Yamal. After all, his 17-year-old teammate has already given him his blessing to be his successor in 2025, and to continue a proud legacy that has seen Pedri, Gavi, and now Yamal bring the Kopa Trophy to Barcelona.