Opinions, analysis and commentary
Just one defender in La Liga has outscored Cubarsi in assists, and he is Ángel Pérez of Alavés, who has three. Cubarsi’s two put him level with Dávid Hancko, Hugo Álvarez and Roy Revivo at the close of play on 18 October. The Barcelona centre-back got both of them in a single game, a 5-2 win away to Real Betis. Pérez’s lead comes from a very different job, one closer to a wide midfielder’s, and a recent red card may freeze it for a few matches.
Cubarsi sits second among defenders with two assists, one behind Pérez, and three others share that mark with him: Hancko of Atlético Madrid, Álvarez of Celta Vigo and Revivo of Elche. The ranking is as of 18 October, so a single extra pass can reshuffle the order. Minutes sit beside each name in the table below to show how few the leaders have needed.
Revivo got there in only 266 minutes, while Hancko needed 573 for the same return. Cubarsi’s pair came from 422 minutes, and both of his key passes ended in goals. Pérez has 10 key passes, a tally that shows he feeds dangerous areas far more often than the rest of this group.
| Defender | Club | Assists | Minutes | Key Passes |
| Ángel Pérez | Deportivo Alavés | 3 | 554 | 10 |
| Pau Cubarsí | Barcelona | 2 | 422 | 2 |
| Dávid Hancko | Atlético Madrid | 2 | 573 | 3 |
| Hugo Álvarez | Celta Vigo | 2 | 443 | 5 |
| Roy Revivo | Elche | 2 | 266 | 3 |
Cubarsi has a better tally than Yan Diomandé of Real Madrid, who has one assist, but the comparison tells us little because Diomandé is a forward. His season reads one goal and one assist from 366 minutes in eight appearances, only three of them starts. Once the two are placed in their proper roles, the headline surprise fades. A forward with a single assist is a quiet start, while a centre-back with two is a genuine oddity.
Both of Cubarsi’s assists came in a single game, Eric García converting the first after 62 minutes and Dani Olmo the second after 81. Before this season, he had no assists in any competition across 2025/26. Against Betis, he found a teammate with 97 percent of his 106 passes, which shows how much of the build-up ran through him.
Pérez has started seven of Alavés’s eight matches and set up two goals in one game, against Osasuna on 6 September. His 10 chances created include six big ones, and his expected assists total of 1.67 backs up the raw count. Ten of his crosses have found a teammate, a success rate of 37 percent.
His profile is closer to a wide player than a centre-back, because he is mostly listed on the right of midfield, plus right-back and wing-back as secondary labels. That makes the comparison with Cubarsi a stretch in role terms. A red card in the Atlético Madrid game on 10 October means a ban may stall his lead for a while.
Four league assists have come from Barcelona’s defenders in total: two from Cubarsi, one from Jules Koundé in 354 minutes and one from Andreas Christensen in 402. Koundé’s pass opened the scoring for Lamine Yamal at Betis. At Real Madrid, the whole back line has managed only one, courtesy of Trent Alexander-Arnold across 265 minutes.
Nine league games have brought nine Barcelona wins, with more than four goals scored per match. That volume explains why even their centre-backs find chances to create from deep, while most other names on the list are wide players by trade.
With sides having played six to nine games, one pass is all that divides Pérez and Cubarsi. Cubarsi’s pair came 19 minutes apart, and his expected assists were just 0.11 ahead of the Betis match. Pérez at 1.67 looks the more sustainable of the two. A quiet fortnight for either player could swap their positions.
Data timing adds noise too, because the league’s own profile still showed no Cubarsi assists after five matches. Providers also label positions differently. Until more games are played, treat this La Liga 2026 defenders’ assists Cubarsi ranking as provisional, since a single weekend could redraw it.
Is Cubarsi’s two-assist game a sign of a creative centre-back or a one-night spike? Share your view in the comments.
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Which defender leads La Liga in assists this season?
Alavés player Ángel Pérez leads all defenders with three assists. Cubarsi, Hancko, Hugo Álvarez and Roy Revivo trail him with two apiece, so the top spot could change with one more assist.
How many La Liga assists has Cubarsi recorded in 2026/27?
Cubarsi has two assists, and both came against Real Betis. They arrived in the 5-2 win on 17 October, when he played the full 90 minutes and completed 97 percent of his passes.
What is Pau Cubarsi’s age?
Cubarsi is 19 years old, born on 22 January 2007. He turns 20 in January 2027 and has been a starter in each of his six league appearances, so he is already a regular.
Is Yan Diomandé a defender at Real Madrid?
No, Diomandé plays as a forward for Real Madrid. He has a league goal and an assist so far, from 366 minutes, so he is not competing with defenders.
How many assists did Jordi Alba record for Barcelona?
Jordi Alba had 91 assists in all competitions for Barcelona by May 2023. A figure for La Liga alone could not be verified, so the all-competition total is the safest reference.
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