New York, July 20 (IANS) Spain centre-back Pau Cubarsi has won the FIFA Young Player Award for his outstanding performances during the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Cubarsi started all eight matches for La Roja, as they soared to a second world crown with a 1-0 extra-time triumph over Argentina in the final on Sunday at New York New Jersey Stadium.
Cubarsi never put a foot wrong as he helped Spain register seven clean sheets during the tournament, forging a fabulous partnership alongside Aymeric Laporte at the heart of a defence that conceded just a single goal, in their 2-1 quarter-final win against Belgium.
The 19-year-old, who has become one of only five teenagers in history to have won the World Cup, is also the first defender to win this award. He has now joined the likes of Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Michael Owen, Thomas Muller, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe, who also won the Young Player award in previous editions of the tournament.
Cubarsí, who helped Spain keep seven clean sheets at the FIFA World Cup 2026, is also only the fifth defender after Franz Beckenbauer, Władysław Żmuda, Antonio Cabrini and Manuel Amoros to win the Young Player award.
Menawhile, Unai Simon’s superb performances in goal for Spain have earned him the Golden Glove Award for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
In helping La Roja to their second global crown with a 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina, Simon registered an astounding seven clean sheets and conceded just one goal, which came in their 2-1 quarter-final victory against Belgium.
His seven clean sheets are the most ever registered in a single World Cup. Seven goalkeepers had managed five: the Netherlands’ Jan Jongbloed in 1974, Italy’s Walter Zenga in 1990, Brazil’s Claudio Taffarel in 1994, France’s Fabien Barthez in 1998, Germany’s Oliver Kahn in 2002, Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon in 2006 and Spain’s Iker Casillas in 2010.
Dating back to Qatar 2022, Simon had gone 649 minutes without conceding in a World Cup match until the Belgium match.
He becomes the second Spain shot-stopper to claim the award, following in the footsteps of South Africa 2010 winner Casillas.
--IANS
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