Barcelona pulled off a 2:3 win against Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes, and Xavi Hernandez didn’t hold back in praising his players, especially mentioning Raphinha and the young Pau Cubarsí. Despite the win, Xavi still tips PSG as the team to beat.
Raphinha’s standout moment, marking his first-ever Champions League goals, caught Xavi’s attention. “Raphinha is exciting, he’s really fantastic… if you see how he’s pressing, always trying the best” Xavi commented, applauding the Brazilian winger’s hard work and impact on the game.
🔵🔴🌟 Xavi: “Pau Cubarsí is an incredible player. He’s been world class… guys, it’s not normal for a 17 years old to perform like that!”.
“I ran out of words to praise him. He's at an exceptional level. He competes like an older player. It’s just insane”. pic.twitter.com/qEyeQFxmHN
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 11, 2024
The performance of 17-year-old Pau Cubarsí also drew praise from Xavi, who was impressed by the youngster’s skill and maturity. “Pau Cubarsí is an incredible player. He’s been world-class… guys, it’s not normal for a 17-year-old to perform like that!” Xavi expressed, amazed by Cubarsí’s standout level.
Key plays also came from Pedri, back from injury to provide an assist shortly after coming on, and Andreas Christensen, who scored his first goal of the season just 2 minutes after coming in, showing the team’s depth.
Despite the victory and strong showing against Parisians, Xavi insists PSG are still the favorites. “I believe that PSG remain to be the favourites” he mentioned, crediting Barcelona’s better defense as a step in the right direction.