Former Barcelona, Real Madrid and Barcelona icon Bernd Schuster has admitted he was surprised by Xavi Hernandez’s announcement that he would be leaving the club. However there is good news for the Blaugrana in the form of Pau Cubarsi, according to Schuster.
“It was surprising. [But] But you are fighting 24 hours a week, always fighting against criticism. [He] does not have such an excellent team either, but team that has been in trouble for years, which feels as if it cannot reach the top, even though it won the league last year,” Schuster told Cadena SER, regarding Xavi’s exit.
He also recounted the rivalry while he was at Barcelona between himself and Uli Stielike, the then Real Madrid goalkeeper.
“We used to take it all the way to the German national team. It would go that far. We wouldn’t speak for days. But then you’re playing together, out of necessity, you end up speaking. We were professionals, we wanted to win too, but it’s beautiful to be able to tell people about the rivalry we had.”
Nowadays the rivalry seems less heated between the two, even if the games still involve plenty of contention. Schuster also refused to say whether he was more of a fan of Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atletico Madrid, stating that he had enjoyed himself so much at all three.
He was impressed with Barcelona teenager Cubarsi though, drawing an intriguing comparison.
“A boy who has come from nowhere and is performing at that level. It reminds me of when Pep unearthed Sergio Busquets, a player who positioned himself well, who read the game like no one else and who didn’t lose the ball.”
Certainly Cubarsi’s maturity has been one of the key elements in his rapid adaptation to life at the top level. Like Lamine Yamal, his decision-making has been as close to flawless as can be hoped for, let alone for such a young player. Both are set to feature for Spain this week, as they take on Colombia and then Brazil at the Santiago Bernabeu.
