Arsenal goalkeeper praises Barcelona duo: ‘Touched by a wand’

It has been a special season for two of Barcelona’s homegrown talents – Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi. The La Masia products are enjoying a spectacular and meteoric rise to stardom despite being just 16 and 17 years old, respectively.

Not only have the pair established a foothold in the Barcelona starting lineup, they are now also a part of the Spanish senior national team under Luis de la Fuente.

Yamal has already become a regular in the Spain squad since making his debut last year. Cubarsi, on the other hand, earned his first-ever call-up earlier this month.

Both players are in contention to feature in the upcoming friendlies against Colombia and Brazil.

Yamal, Cubarsi, touched by a wand says David Raya

Ahead of Friday night’s match against Colombia, Arsenal and Spain goalkeeper David Raya interacted with the media earlier today.

During the press conference, Raya went on to heap praise on Cubarsi and Yamal, as well as another young footballer in the Spain squad, in Nico Williams.

“It’s a pleasure to have such young players with us and a motivation for the ones to come,” said the Arsenal star.

“Lamine, Cubarsí or Nico seem to be touched by a wand. They bring a lot to the team and it’s great for the team,” he further added.

A special talent. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Concerns at Barcelona

While it is a matter of pride for any player to represent their national team, the early call-ups for the likes of Yamal and Cubarsi are also causing a degree of concern at Barcelona with regard to their workload.

There is a strong possibility that both Yamal and Cubarsi could be asked to play in the Euro 2024 and then in the Olympics during the summer.

There is a fear within Barcelona that the pair could go down the ‘Pedri route’ and face fitness problems due to the relentless workload.

In fact, sporting director Deco made it clear today that the Catalans have informed the RFEF that they do not like the idea of their players being asked to play in both tournaments.

“As a club, we don’t want it to happen. The RFEF knows our idea, but we have to talk to the players. We will try to make sure it doesn’t happen,” he remarked.

However, the Spanish Federation does not plan on listening to what the clubs say and will seek the opinion of the players before making the selection decision.