Marc Pubill
A 1.90m hybrid defender who moves between right-back and centre-back without changing his game — physical in duels, aggressive in the air and comfortable defending space behind him.
Playing Style Summary
Pubill is a modern hybrid defender: a right-back with a centre-back's frame, and a centre-back with a full-back's mobility. Atlético use him in both roles, and that flexibility is the point — he lets Simeone change the shape of the back line without changing personnel. His game is built on physical duels, aerial strength and long, powerful running, rather than intricate combination play. In possession he is functional and direct, and he is a genuine threat attacking crosses and set pieces.
Defining Traits
Positional Hybrid
Pubill can start a match at right-back and finish it as a centre-back. That lets his coach shift from a back four to a narrower, more protective line mid-game without a substitution.
Aerial Presence
At 1.90m he is unusually tall for a full-back. He defends the back post against diagonal crosses and attacks the ball in the opposition box — a weapon most right-backs simply cannot offer.
Duel-First Defending
He defends front-foot and physical, stepping into the winger or striker to win the ball rather than jockeying. It suits Atlético's compact, combative defensive identity.
Long-Stride Recovery
Once he opens his stride he covers ground quickly, allowing him to recover into the channel behind him when the line is broken.
Strengths
- Versatility across right-back and centre-back within the same match
- Aerial dominance in both boxes, including as a set-piece target
- Physical, front-foot one-v-one defending
- Recovery pace over longer distances
- Tactical discipline inside a compact defensive block
Limitations
- Final-third delivery and combination play are less refined than those of specialist attacking full-backs
- A tall frame means he can be exposed by quick changes of direction from small, low-centre-of-gravity wingers
- Still relatively inexperienced at elite level, so positional reads can be inconsistent when the block is stretched
More Spain players
See the full squad →Pau Cubarsí
“The teenage centre-back who builds attacks like a midfielder — line-breaking passes from deep and a calm command of Barcelona's high defensive line.”
Aymeric Laporte
“The left-footed centre-back who sets the tempo from the back — calm, precise distribution and the experience to organise a defensive line.”
Eric García
“Barcelona's tactical utility player — a ball-playing centre-back who can also play at right-back and in midfield, with a knack for arriving in the box.”
Marc Cucurella
“A relentless, tactically flexible left-back — aggressive in duels, tireless in support and comfortable moving inside as an inverted full-back.”
Alejandro Grimaldo
“A left-back who plays like a creative midfielder — elite left-foot delivery, dead-ball mastery, and the timing to arrive in the box like a winger.”
Pedri
“The purest inheritor of Barcelona's positional play tradition — elite first touch, spatial intelligence, and the ability to find passes nobody else can see.”
The Bench View app
Want to play like Pubill? Train it.
Everything you read here, turned into training you can follow step by step.
Physical training at home
AI daily sessions adapted to your level and position. No equipment needed.
Tactical training courses
Step-by-step courses on positioning, pressing, build-up and decision making.
- 7 days free
- No commitment
- Cancel anytime
Free account: 2 physical sessions + the first tactical course. PRO: 7-day free trial — cancel before day 8 and you pay nothing.
