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Soccer

Kubarsi just turned 18 a week ago, but he is already one of the best central defenders in the world. We admire Yamal, crown Pedri, and hardly praise Kubarsi, yet he might be doing even more outstanding work.

There has never been such a strong 17-year-old central defender before. His vision of the field, passing ability with both feet—he's like a regista, almost a Pirlo, playing in the heart of defense. He often takes risks, sets the tempo for the team, and breaks through the opponent's lines. He also has the highest pass accuracy in La Liga—93.5%. Kubarsi almost never makes mistakes.

In the picture, his superiority in skill level and availability compared to all central defenders in the world under 21 is evident.

this is why i have such a soft spot for defenders, "defensive" managers, and "defensive" teams (so-called). 

defending is an integral part of football and yet it often goes under the radar in discussions.

writing at: https://paragraph.xyz/@thearcadia || curating vibes over at /football || bringing football onchain at /thefalsenine

As the son of an 🇮🇹 immigrant I learned this from birth. Boring as 💩 but results in much hardware.

which is interesting because flair is coming to italian football and the spanish are now beginning to acquire the reputation for defensive rigidity. i wonder why.

to be fair, I was mostly talking about national team style. At the club level the game has become so internationalized it's hard to pin style to the nation

wow, I almost mentioned that exact tournament to support your point.
The way they played against Belgium, I literally said to my family "this is not the Italian team I grew up watching"

wow, I almost mentioned that exact tournament to support your point.
The way they played against Belgium, I literally said to my family "this is not the Italian team I grew up watching"

https://www.uefa.com/euro2024/video/highlights/026b-12bf5abd3965-c8fc73ec27b2-1000--highlights-belgium-1-2-italy/

but even the national team has become a bit more front foot if you think about it. i remember watching the side that won euro 2021 throughout the tournament and that team's strength wasn't necessarily defensive.