A shaky start to the season, especially in defense, instilled in Barcelona fans the feeling that the team would pay dearly for Iñigo Martínez's departure from Barcelona to join Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr. The Basque center-back was happy in the Catalan capital – in fact, he gave his third son, born in Barcelona, ​​a Catalan name, Pol – but the financial offer from the Saudi Arabian club meant signing his last major contract as a professional at 34. Signed by Xavi Hernández and Mateu Alemany, the Basque defender became a favorite of Hansi Flick, who understood his move to the Persian Gulf as financially motivated. Iñigo Martínez left behind a great season with Barça, establishing himself as the leader of the defense and a key player in the offside trap that proved so successful for Barça last season. How can we forget that Clásico against Real Madrid where the Barça defenders brought down the Whites offside a staggering 12 times? The center-back from Ondarroa became the best mentor for Pau Cubarsí, who, after debuting under Xavi Hernández, became a regular in the starting eleven under Hansi Flick, partnering with the Basque defender.

Starter in the first three league matches, Eric Garcia seems to have earned a place in Hansi Flick's starting eleven.The Martorell-born defender, who can play both as a center back and as a full-back, has outplayed Jules Kounde in the first two matchdays, while at Rayo Vallecano he formed a center-back partnership with Andreas Christensen. His versatility also led the German coach to try him as a pivot in his first matches at Barça. "He's a very intelligent kid with the best judgment for distributing his play from the back," Marcel Sans, who had him in the U14 B team, where he played alongside Arnau Tenas, Take Kubo, Ansu Fati, and Nico González, told ARA.

The history of professional football is full of players who have dropped out of school to focus on sports. And not just those at big clubs like Barça, Espanyol, Girona, or Real Madrid. Early contracts, even for modest amounts, cause many teenagers—and, unfortunately, some families—to lose sight of the world and consider going to school a waste of time; that it's better to train to climb the leagues and earn more and more money. Those who think this way barely finish high school. Over the years, the minority of footballers who are successful and make a career in the First or Second Division earn enough money to make up for it. But the vast majority fall by the wayside or end up retiring in their thirties without any academic training or the possibility of saving. That's when the real problems begin.

"Xavi, I arrived late because people stopped me on the metro, forgive me," Ansu Fati told Xavi Martín, looking bewildered by what had just happened to him. He was returning to La Masia from his parents' house – that day he was due to make his Barça first-team debut, at just 16 years old. "I went to my office, grabbed the front pages of the newspapers and told him: 'They stopped you for that. And from now on, you have to change your habits because you're a well-known person,'" Xavi Martín, director of La Masía between 2019 and 2021, recalls to ARA. He was also a member of the Barça squad with whom Martín coincided during his time as director of La Masia. The list includes Lamine Yamal, Cubarsí, Balde, Casadó, Marc Bernal, Fermín and Gavi. He still keeps in touch with many of them. The latter two were at La Masia because their families lived outside of Catalonia, but the club also believes the Blaugrana home is the best place for players experiencing difficult situations. This was the case with Lamine Yamal. "The decision was based on his situation from a family perspective. There could be more dysfunctional families or those who lived in difficult areas. There were players who needed academic, nutritional, sleep, and rest monitoring," Martín explained during the interview at his home in Vilassar de Mar.

"Pau is very much a Barça fan, very much so. His whole life. Robert, his father, instilled that in him from a young age. He took him to the pitch, they would run away whenever they could. And now there's nothing he can do. He just wants Barça, Barça, and Barça. It doesn't matter who calls him, the response is obvious. The only thing he wants is to have a long suit." He is a very close person to Cubarsí and his family. We are just a few hours before the derby between Barça and Girona. A match that Cubarsí will play in the Barça shirt but could also have played in the red and white.

"Pau is very much a Barça fan, very much so. His whole life. Robert, his father, instilled that in him from a young age. He took him to the pitch, they would run away whenever they could. And now there's nothing he can do. He just wants Barça, Barça, and Barça. It doesn't matter who calls him, the response is obvious. The only thing he wants is to have a long suit." He is a very close person to Cubarsí and his family. We are just a few hours before the derby between Barça and Girona. A match that Cubarsí will play in the Barça shirt but could also have played in the red and white.

Five minutes before halftime in the 8:45 p.m. match between the Netherlands and Spain, Pau Cubarsí sat down on the ground and asked to be substituted. While waiting for the first reports, it appeared, judging by his gestures, that the 18-year-old Barça center back had been bothered by discomfort in his right ankle. He was replaced by the equally young (19-year-old) Dean Huijsen, a center back for English club Bournemouth. Despite being born in Amsterdam, he chose to play for Spain because he grew up in Andalusia.

Five minutes before halftime in the match between the Netherlands and Spain, Pau Cubarsí sat down and asked to be substituted. The 18-year-old Barça center back was experiencing discomfort in his right ankle. He was replaced by the equally young (19-year-old) Dean Huijsen, a center back for English club Bournemouth. Despite being born in Amsterdam, he chose to play for Spain because he grew up in Andalusia. This Thursday, he made his debut for the Spanish national team.