Pau Cubarsi is Spain's other teenage star at this World Cup and 'will be one of the top five centre-backs in history'

He is Barcelona’s teenage wonderkid, inspiring Spain to the brink of World Cup glory. But his name is not Lamine Yamal. Even more significant than the extraordinary young winger has been the contribution by Pau Cubarsi in the centre of defence.

The 19-year-old centre-back was supposed to have his work cut out against Kylian Mbappe and that formidable France forward line. Instead, Cubarsi remained serene as Spain won 2-0 - keeping a sixth clean sheet in seven games so far at this World Cup.

Only Rodri has made more passes than Cubarsi at the tournament but this time the focus was different. Aymeric Laporte made 76 passes to his 32. The job was to use his pace and defensive nous when one-on-one to stifle the man who nobody could stop.

One tackle on Mbappe summed both performances up. Nobody made more clearances than Cubarsi on the night. It was a defensive masterclass that would not have surprised former Barcelona player Oscar Garcia. He predicts that Cubarsi will become a legend.