Barça: why will Pau Cubarsí miss the Ballon d’Or ceremony?

25.10.26 FT LaLiga Spain

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Pau Cubarsí, an FC Barcelona defender, chose not to travel to London to attend the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony, scheduled for this evening, and decided to remain in Spain to recover after a run of matches.

Ballon d’Or 2026: the reason for Pau Cubarsí’s absence

According to the daily newspaper “El Mundo”, the 19-year-old made the decision after playing the entire Clasico, which FC Barcelona lost 1-2 on the 10th matchday of La Liga.

Cubarsí is preparing for the next stage of the season. He has played 10 matches for FC Barcelona so far, totalling 872 minutes, and has missed only three games, ahead of the next match against Deportivo Alavés.

In this year’s Ballon d’Or race, Pau Cubarsí officially finished 12th, making him the highest-ranked centre-back on the list.

The FC Barcelona defender finished ahead of Brazilian players Gabriel Magalhães (21st) and Marquinhos (25th), Dayot Upamecano (26th) and Frenchman William Saliba (29th).

2026 Ballon d'Or: organisers announce the winner by mistake

Mohamed Rek |

Editorfr, ar, en

Mohamed Rek- sports content writer with over 10 years of experience creating football content in Arabic and French for platforms such as Foot Africa and Starafrica, combining accuracy, creativity, and audience engagement.

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