Barcelona center back Pau Cubarsí has defended Lamine Yamal in the face of continued controversy over his 18th birthday party.
Yamal was threatened with legal action for allegedly hiring people with dwarfism as entertainment—a direct breach of Spanish law. Club president Joan Laporta saw no issues, however, insisting his only regret was the fact he did not attend the party himself.
Plenty of Yamal’s Barcelona teammates attended his party, including fellow 18-year-old and long time La Masia teammate Cubarsí, who was quick to downplay the whole situation.
“You guys [the media] talked about Lamine Yamal’s birthday party more than we did in the dressing room,” Cubarsí told Cadena SER. “We thought it was normal and we were there with him to celebrate the kid’s coming of age, so we were happy for him. I was a bit more formal, with a suit and being calm.”
In recent days, a mural of Yamal was vandalized with images of the seven dwarfs from the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs movie—an apparent response to the party controversy—but it has since been restored by the original artist.
Barcelona’s preseason training began on July, 13, only hours after Yamal’s celebration ended. All Barça players, including those who attended the party, began their 2025–26 season preparations without inconvenience.
Cubarsí went on to talk about Yamal’s quality on the field, declaring that marking him in training is harder than passing “La Selectividad”, the test he took to finish high school and to have an opportunity to pursue a college degree in the future.
Both Yamal and Cubarsi have become pivotal pieces in Hansi Flick’s Barcelona as teenagers. The pair are two of the latest gems to graduate from La Masia and are now regarded as two of the world’s best talents at their respective positions.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘It Was Normal’—Barcelona Star Downplays Lamine Yamal Party Controversy.
