A member of the defensive ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona played through illness during the club’s showdown with Real Madrid.
The Blaugrana star in question? Pau Cubarsí.
Barcelona are of course fresh off an evening to forget in El Clásico on Sunday, condemned to the wrong side of a 2-1 result for a 2nd successive defeat in all competitions.
The aforementioned Cubarsí featured from the off in the fixture, from his customary berth at the heart of the hosts’ backline. The 19-year-old, though, at times looked off the pace of things, beaten decisively by Eduardo Camavinga prior to Kylian Mbappé netting the game’s winner.
And as alluded to above, an explanation for Cubarsí performing some way short of his brilliant best may well have since been unveiled.
As per a report from Mundo Deportivo:
‘The centre-back didn’t travel to London (for the Ballon d’Or ceremony) because he played the Clásico with a fever and preferred to stay home to rest.’
Conor Laird – GSFN
