Indeed, the perfect game may not exist. But if it did, it would closely resemble the one played by Barcelona's center-back, Pau Cubarsí, against Napoli, in his Champions League debut.

A match that ended with a Barcelona victory (3-1), Cubarsí named MVP, and Barça among the top eight teams in Europe four years later.

A night where Xavi's Barcelona became the first team in history to field two underage players in the starting eleven in a Champions League knockout tie: Pau Cubarsí (17 years and 50 days) and Lamine Yamal (16 years and 243 days).

Furthermore, another youth academy talent, Fermín López, was also in the starting lineup and opened the scoring with his second goal in the top continental competition at just 20 years and 294 days.

But let's focus on Cubarsí, by far the best among the 29 players who stepped onto the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium turf, and who in his Champions League debut literally overshadowed the Nigerian, Victor Osimhen, one of those tough-as-nails strikers.

In the Catalan defender, we see the elegance of Rafa Márquez, the ball-playing ability of Gerard Piqué, the anticipation of Carles Puyol, and the long-range passing of Ronald Koeman.

At just 17, he is mentally gifted. His defensive reading, cool-headedness in facing any kind of emergency, and impeccable decision-making in initiating plays from the back are a lifeline.

For his teammates, who have only shared the pitch with him for a handful of games, finding and passing to him repeatedly has become instinctual. And for Xavi, as he confessed after eliminating Napoli.

"The bottom line is, when Cubarsí has the ball, my heart rate doesn't rise. That's his greatest virtue. I'm calm when a 17-year-old has the ball. That's priceless. And Napoli pressed, but he always found the best option. And when he plays long balls, they make sense, he doesn't just hoof it. They find their target at his teammates' feet. For me, he's a marvel," said the Barcelona coach.

But Xavi didn't just highlight his footballing prowess, but his character and mentality too: "His brain is well-equipped. Plus, he's calm, composed, a very humble guy who asks us for videos to improve. His willingness and interest in getting better make him better every day."

Those eagerness to learn and improve each day, combined with his undeniable talent, explain his meteoric rise in European football's elite.

Because on March 11, 2023, Pau Cubarsí played 90 minutes in Barcelona B's thrashing of Unificación Bellvitge (5-2). And a year and a day later, the Girona-born center-back was schooling opponents in the match that saw the first team seal their spot in the Champions League quarter-finals.

In 365 days, he went from playing in Group 7 matches of the National Youth League to being an indispensable piece in Xavi's Barcelona. How is that possible? Just take a look at the statistics from his performance against Napoli to understand.

Impeccable in defensive duties, according to data from BeSoccer Pro for EFE, Cubarsí recovered 11 balls, cleared 6, and intercepted another 5, blocked a shot on goal, and won all 3 defensive and aerial duels he contested: 100% effectiveness. And all that without committing a single foul in 90 minutes.

And in attack, he completed 63 passes, with a 93% success rate (12 of them long passes, with a 75% success rate), and suffered 6 ball losses, most of them under pressure.

It was almost a perfect game, the D-Day at H-Hour for a 17-year-old from Estanyol: Pau Cubarsí Paredes, a center-back destined to make a mark on world football.