What will the Barcelona defender do after the Clásico?

Pau Cubarsi mixed light humour with the calm that defines him on the pitch in an exceptional interview, lifting the lid on the final hours before the Clasico while touching on Messi, the World Cup final, and life as a teenager carrying the weight of stardom.

Barcelona top La Liga and host their eternal rivals Real Madrid, who sit third, next Sunday at the Camp Nou in round 10 of the Spanish league.

A funny agreement before the Clasico

Cubarsi opened his chat with DAZN on a light note about what would follow the Clasico. "I hope we meet after achieving the win, and that we exchange a lovely hug," he said.

The interviewer fired back with a proposal: "If Barcelona win, we hug, if it ends in a draw, we shake hands, and if they lose, we settle for a greeting from afar." Cubarsi laughed and replied: "That sounds good to me, but I'm waiting for the hug!".

Asked whether he fancied practising the hug there and then, the defender said: "Like this, with a pat on the back, isn't that right? If we win, we'll do all of that." The joke then turned into a promise of a goal, with the interviewer teasing: "If you score a goal in the Clasico, don't ask me what I'll do!".

"Okay, I'll jump and run towards you!" came the reply. The interviewer concluded: "If you score a goal, you should at least give me a PlayStation as a gift!". Cubarsi grinned: "Okay, it's a deal!".

Messi: the dream that never ends

What runs through his mind when he hears Messi's name or remembers he walks the same corridors the great man once did? Cubarsi answered with emotion: "When Messi's name is mentioned, I think that anyone who supports Barcelona or loves football has amazing memories come to mind, because of everything he gave to this club and to football in general".

He added: "The truth is that it is a shame that the years of his footballing career are nearing their end, because I wish he could play forever so that we could keep enjoying him. I am extremely grateful that he wore the Barcelona shirt".

Backing the idea of a farewell match for Messi at the Camp Nou, as he staged with the Argentina fans, he said: "Yes, that would be a truly lovely thing. He deserves to have a tribute match held in appreciation of everything he gave us".

A message before the Clasico and the Paris clash

Turning to the hours leading up to the Clasico, he said: "We are calm at the moment, and we know very well what we have to do, we are aware of our strengths, the good spell we are going through, as well as the small details we still have to improve".

"We have very clear ideas about the match, and we know that if we apply what we want well, we can achieve a great result, we will give everything we have on our ground and in front of our fans," he continued.

On the start of the season and the defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, he explained: "We started the season very well. It's true that morale perhaps dropped a little after the defeat to Paris, but we have to carry on in the same way".

He went on: "It was a clash between the two best teams at that moment, and among the two teams that play at the highest tempo, it was a very strong and very even match, and in the end it slipped away from us because of small details, but we also came out of it with many positive things".

He then addressed the high defensive line Barcelona are known for: "This is the philosophy that the coach instilled in us from the start, and we have to stick to it until the end, we must press our opponents very fiercely in the forward areas, and not allow them to play comfortably".

Cubarsi signed off: "It is a distinctive approach, and it may be a little complicated in some situations, but when you trust the team-mates who are alongside you, and you have very clear ideas, things go well".