00:00It's less than 100 days until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in the United States,
00:04Canada and Mexico. And, for the first time, 48 countries will do battle to be crowned
00:09world champions. Which means that with 16 more squads to pick from, there'll be more wonder kids
00:14at the finals than ever before. Here at 442, we've handpicked two of the best who, fingers crossed,
00:20you'll be seeing plenty of at this summer's tournament. So stick around with me, Joe Donoghue,
00:24and get ahead of the curve with this latest World Cup instalment of The Boys A Bit Special,
00:28the 442 video series spotlighting world football's best and brightest youngsters.
00:35Warren Zaire Emery is a name plenty of you will be familiar with in passing, pun very much intended,
00:42but maybe not in as much detail as we're about to provide. He is, of course, the young midfielder
00:46belonging to Paris Saint-Germain, who made France's Euro 2024 squad at the tender age of 18. But,
00:52there's so much more to the Parisian tempo setter. Zaire Emery has made well over 100 appearances for
00:57PSG, has a handful of senior France caps to his name, and will probably walk, stride and ball carry
01:02into most Premier League midfields. What sets Zaire Emery apart is twofold, and it affects both his
01:08club and international football. In the modern PSG era, an academy graduate having such a pronounced
01:13impact at such a young age, he was starting regularly as a 17-year-old by the way, is pretty
01:18much
01:18unheard of at this club. Sustaining that run in the team, when other academy grads, many of whom are
01:23very accomplished in the game, but have had to go elsewhere to further their careers, is a ringing
01:27endorsement of Zaire Emery's. PSG are, of course, a club that can afford whoever they like in the
01:32transfer market, and they've no issue showing their cash. Zaire Emery, however, has broken and continues
01:37to break the mould. The PSG man was genuinely one of the best players we've ever seen in the UEFA
01:42Youth League, which is an under-19 competition that mirrors the Champions League, and that was when he was
01:4615. At 17, he was made France Under-21 captain, and at club level has rarely missed a game for
01:52the
01:52reigning European champions over the past three years. Not to mention, his trophy cabinet reads as
01:56follows. One Champions League, one UEFA Super Cup, one FIFA Intercontinental Cup, two Coupe de France
02:02titles, three French Super Cups, and finally, three Ligue 1 titles. Described as a player of action
02:07rather than a player of words by former youth coaches, Zaire Emery is said to have had a detrimental
02:11effect on his teammates at a younger age. That's because previous coaches noted that whenever
02:16the team lost the ball, Zaire Emery himself would recover possession, putting his team back on the
02:21front foot, pretty much single-handedly. And so he was promoted from under-9s to under-11s,
02:26and that was a pattern which continued throughout his youth career. Now, you don't need us to tell
02:31you that the boy's a bit special. He's done that himself by becoming both PSG and France's youngest
02:36ever player. Only Mamadou Sakho of Champs-Élysées Scooter and Liverpool fame has captained PSG at a younger age.
02:42He's worked under Thierry Henry, Didier Deschamps and Luis Enrique,
02:45all of whom recognise he's an elite-level talent. But what you were really waiting for was the Joe
02:50Donoghue 4-4-2 co-sign, weren't you? It's okay, just admit you were. Colleagues of mine in the youth
02:55football world have compared Zaire Emery's emergence to that of Laminya Mal, minus, of course,
03:00the attacking highlight reel because of the different positions the two play. That's how good he's
03:04considered to be. Either way, scouts and real ball appreciators spot an outstanding natural talent,
03:09regardless of where they feature on the pitch. It's got to the point now where, having only just turned 20,
03:14Zaire Emery's inclusion in Ballon d'Or long lists, PSG team sheets and Le Bleu's 26-man squad at this
03:20summer's World Cup isn't that notable anymore, when it really still should be. Once upon a time,
03:25a leading sporting director told me that when he's watching young players, it's not about how much
03:29they get right, but how little they get wrong. That particular individual was describing a midfield
03:34player, and the same rings true for Zaire Emery. He just always seems to be in control, whether it's making
03:39passes, protecting possession, creating chances, or simply being in the right position on the pitch when
03:44the opposition have the ball. He's there. It's perhaps why, increasingly, Zaire Emery is being used as
03:49a right-back for PSG, something which many managers have done with their sitting central midfielders to
03:54create a numerical superiority in that area of the pitch. It also helps that Zaire Emery is an extremely
04:00effective ball-progressor, taking the ball in his stride and carrying upfield, often through lines.
04:06Could we see Zaire Emery playing right-back for France this summer? Possibly, don't rule it out.
04:10France's boss Deschamps has tended to prefer Jules Koundé in that role, or Chelsea's Mal-Augusto,
04:15but Koundé recently suffered a minor hamstring tear and Gusteau were not sold on, particularly if the
04:20game doesn't require an overlapping, underlapping full-back. The World Cup is the global stage and
04:25frankly, knockout football is the sort of environment where you need a cool head on young shoulders.
04:29And we believe Zaire Emery is the man for the job. When games can become stretched and the clock is
04:34ticking down, he can defend and attack the big spaces that open up. Now, of course, France have
04:39an abundance of midfield options, all slightly different. But, in our humble opinion, we think
04:44the World Cup will be a far richer place with Zaire Emery in the States. Senegal and Norway in the
04:48group
04:48stage is no easy task, and France could probably do with a player who's been making light work of the
04:53best that France and the rest of Europe has to offer for the past three years.
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05:15La Masia is the creme de la creme when it comes to producing young footballers. It's where Lionel
05:19Messi came through after joining Barcelona at the age of 13. And there's no greater argument than that
05:24for the place being a tremendous environment for developing players. I would like to reel off a
05:28list of fellow academy graduates, but we're on a schedule here, there's other people wanting to use
05:32the studio and I really want to tell you about this one in particular. If Zaire Emery is in with
05:37a good
05:37chance of making the France squad this summer, then Barcelona's Pau Cubasi is a near certainty for
05:42Spain's 26-man list. Cubasi made his Spain international debut about two years ago at the
05:46age of 17. And strangely enough, he was a full Spanish international before appearing with the
05:51under-21s for the first time. There aren't going to be many players at the 2026 World Cup who jumped
05:56from under-17 to senior international in one leap, which was over the span of four months. Ridiculous.
06:02The baby-faced central defender is the advert for Barcelona and Spain's youth football pathway.
06:07If you're good enough, you're old enough. And it's never been truer than in Cubasi's case.
06:11He's not particularly tall, six foot maybe a little bit, possibly even half an inch less than that.
06:16And how often can you say that about modern day centre-halves? He's not built like a brick
06:20shithouse either. But then again, name me a Barcelona academy player, literally ever,
06:25Adama Traore aside, who has been. Cubasi is, oddly enough, the type of defender you line up against for
06:31the first time as an attacker and think, you know what, I could bully you today. And yet,
06:35time and time again, it's the Barca boy who comes out on top. He's a great passer of the ball
06:39because
06:40he keeps it simple and for his size does alright in the air, even if that isn't really his primary
06:44task. And I know what you're thinking, because I assumed it too. Ah, Joe, he does so well in Spain
06:49because La Liga isn't anywhere near as physical as the Premier League. And you'd be right, it isn't.
06:53That doesn't mean he hasn't faced his fair share of imposing centre-forwards and
06:57rapid wingers cutting inside. Take the 2024 Olympic final for example. Cubasi,
07:02Spain beat France in extra time, a team which included the experienced front two of
07:06Alexandre Lacazette and Jean-Philippe Mateta, Michael Alisse, as well as Ryan Scherke and
07:10Desiree Douai off the bench. Cubasi made 14 clearances, seven of which were with his head.
07:16And that's something he's not been forced to do week in, week out for Barcelona. But crucially,
07:20it shows that he's capable. Not convinced by his handling of those players? Alright,
07:24let's take a look at the forwards he faced as a 17-year-old during his first two Champions League
07:28appearances. Victor Osserman and Kylian Mbappe. Barcelona won both games against Napoli and PSG.
07:34And while Mbappe grabbed a brace in the second leg that year, ultimately knocking Barcelona out,
07:3829th minute red card for Cubasi's centre-back partner, Ronald Arrojo, definitely didn't help.
07:44Cubasi's knowledge of the game is top of the pile. He reads it like he's been doing it a decade.
07:48And this is a small thing, but given his age, it's noteworthy. He likes dinking the ball out towards the
07:52left
07:53flank with these mini-switches of play from that right-sided centre-back position.
07:57Yes, he keeps it simple most of the time, but when a more ambitious pass is on, he makes it.
08:02And that long passing is only going to improve the more he matures and the longer he remains
08:05in this possession-dominant Barca team. Just a quick side note, can you imagine two players
08:10of Laminya Mal and Pau Cubasi's quality coming through the same academy at the same time? That's the
08:15reality at Barcelona. Both born in 2007, separated by six months in age, arguably the best teenagers
08:21in the world in their respective positions. How much are they going to save Barcelona in transfer fees?
08:26You know what? It doesn't bear thinking about. Would Cubasi get on as well in the Premier League?
08:31No, he wouldn't, not right now. But this is the World Cup we're talking about.
08:34Games decided by moments and Cubasi's pretty effective at snuffing them out as a last man when
08:39the situation requires it. And considering Spain's group, alongside Uruguay, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia,
08:45they're very likely going to see loads of the ball. So, who better to be starting your moves from the
08:50back than the youngster schooled at the home of Tiki Taka? Remember to subscribe to 442 for more
08:54Boys A Bit Special, unique stories, wonderkids, scout reports, football documentary shorts and so much
08:59more. We'll have much more pre-World Cup content coming on this channel in the coming weeks and months
09:04and we've got exciting plans for the tournament itself this summer, so make sure you're subscribed.
09:08Until next time, bye for now.
