Lamine Yamal & Pau Cubarsí have already made World Cup history at just 19 years old. Still eligible to play at youth level and young enough to have taken part in the latest edition of MICFootball, both players now hold the most prestigious title in world soccer after winning it in the United States just a few days ago.
This duo has become synonymous with success, as the center back and the forward have shared hundreds of matches at FC Barcelona’s youth academy. In fact, they won the MIC together in the U12A category in 2019, defeating Valencia CF 2-0 in Palamós, before lifting the trophy again in 2022 after beating EC Granollers on penalties.
A year later, in 2023, Cubarsí returned to the tournament and won the U19 category while still eligible for the U16 age group, confirming his rapid development through the club’s youth ranks. Lamine, however, had other plans that same April: making his first-team debut for FC Barcelona in a league match against Real Betis at just 15 years and 9 months old.
In 2024, Pau also fulfilled his dream of making his first-team debut for Barça, while Lamine continued to establish himself at the highest level. It was the following season that both players began to secure a place in the Blaugrana starting lineup, as the soccer world started to marvel at their extraordinary rise.
Last March, Cubarsí served as ambassador for the 24th edition of MICFootball, becoming the youngest ambassador in the tournament’s history. Just a few months later, he made history by winning the World Cup alongside his friend Lamine.
Ultimately, two boys who were lifting the MICFootball trophy four years ago while dreaming of becoming professional players reached the very top of world soccer just a few days ago at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. And the best part of this story, which began to be written here, is that their book is still far from finished.
