Pau Cubarsi beats Paolo Maldini to historic FIFA World Cup record against France

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Pau Cubarsi has been one of the best young players at the tournament, and has just surpassed the legendary Paolo Maldini in a huge statistic.

Cubarsi put in yet another stellar performance to help Spain advance to the FIFA World Cup final, managing to shut down a lethal France attack.

The FC Barcelona starlet has been fantastic this tournament, conceding just one goal. And with his latest shutout, Cubarsi has now beaten a record last set by Paolo Maldini.

Pau Cubarsi becomes fastest player to earn six clean sheets in FIFA World Cup

With their 2-0 win against France, Spain managed to keep their sixth clean sheet of the tournament. Pau Cubarsi has started every game for Spain, playing a huge role in their defensive dominance.

With his sixth clean sheet in seven World Cup games, Cubarsi has become the fastest player to reach six clean sheets in FIFA World Cup games.

The previous record was held by the legendary Italian defender Paolo Maldini, who managed to earn five clean sheets in his first seven FIFA World Cup games.

He did this in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, where he and Italy reached the semi-final of the tournament, only to lose to Diego Maradona and Argentina.

At the time, Maldini and Italy set a record for five consecutive clean sheets. In this tournament, Spain matched this record, only to have their chance to set a new record with six clean sheets spoiled by Belgium.

So far, Belgium are the only team to have broken this Spanish defence, with Charles De Ketelaere bagging the equaliser in their quarter-final tie.

Pau Cubarsi cementing himself as one of the world’s best defenders

For fans who don’t regularly keep up with FC Barcelona’s exploits in the Spanish league, Cubarsi is showing them just how talented he is.

The La Masia graduate broke into the team during the 2023-24 season under the stewardship of manager Xavi Hernandez.

Since then, Cubarsi has become a central figure in current Barcelona manager Hansi Flick’s defence. However, Flick’s signature high line leaves the young Spaniard exposed to counter-attacks, which explains why he and Barcelona often look defensively vulnerable.

Under the more conservative and composed system of Luis de la Fuente, Cubarsi has shown why he isn’t just one of the best young defenders in the world, but one of the outright best in the world.