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Pau Cubarsí has started every minute of Spain's run to the World Cup final, posted passing accuracy no defender at this tournament has matched, and broken a clean sheet record held by Paolo Maldini. He is 19. Almost nobody is talking about him. When Spain beat France 2-0 in the semi-final, the conversation immediately turned to who had scored. Mikel Merino got both goals. Lamine Yamal made the chance for the second with a pass that skipped through France's defensive line in t

The teams that made it to the final four in the 2026 World Cup had one thing in common: their best players didn't always start. It was a lesson learned the hard way. At some point during the 2026 World Cup knockout rounds, something funny happened to the sport. Goals from substitutes. Matches turned by players who began the game on the bench. Teams that looked ordinary for 60 minutes and dangerous for the final 30. The pattern kept repeating, and by the time the semi-finals