Golden Boy 2026: Pau Cubarsi Is the Strongest Candidate, Here Is the Full List of 25 Nominees
Tuesday, 6 October 2026 | 10:00
Author: Arif S
Spain National Team Defender Pau Cubarsi received the Best Young Player award of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Credit: Antara Foto/Michael Teguh Adiputra Siahaan
A total of 25 outstanding young European footballers have been shortlisted for the 2026 Golden Boy award. Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi has emerged as the clear frontrunner for this prestigious honour, which recognises elite players under 21 years of age.
The Golden Boy award was founded by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport in 2003. Unlike the Kopa Trophy which evaluates performance across a single club season, Golden Boy uses a player's form over the full calendar year as one of its core judging criteria.
Cubarsi holds extremely strong credentials to claim the 2026 edition of the award. The 19-year-old defender established himself as a critical regular for Barcelona over the year, delivering consistent, reliable performances at the heart of defence.
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His impressive form carried over to international duty with Spain. Cubarsi played a key part in La Roja's victorious 2026 World Cup campaign, where he was additionally honoured as the tournament's official Best Young Player.
This track record positions Cubarsi as the leading candidate to succeed previous award winner Desire Doue.
Competition remains open nevertheless, with the full nomination list packed with emerging talents from Europe's elite club sides.
Ayyoub Bouaddi represents Manchester City on the shortlist. Paris Saint-Germain have nominated Warren Zaire-Emery, while Real Madrid field two candidates: Yan Diomande and Endrick.
Arsenal are represented by Myles Lewis-Skelly, Chelsea have put forward Jorrel Hato and Estevao, and Lennart Karl is Bayern Munich's nominated player. Further European clubs including Porto, Brighton, Borussia Dortmund, Benfica and Juventus also have players featured on the list.
Several players among the 25 nominees have already earned widespread recognition at both club and international level. Endrick for instance is one of Brazil's most highly-scouted emerging talents, while Franco Mastantuono and Rodrigo Mora are listed as wildcard entries.
Barcelona have three players nominated in total: Cubarsi, Marc Bernal and Xavi Espart. This presence underscores the strength of the Catalan club's youth generation heading into the 2026 Golden Boy voting.
2026 Golden Boy Full Nomination List:
1. Pau Cubarsi - Spain, Barcelona
2. Ayyoub Bouaddi - Morocco, Manchester City
3. Warren Zaire-Emery - France, PSG
4. Yan Diomande - Ivory Coast, Real Madrid
5. Luka Vuskovic - Croatia, Brighton
6. Victor Froholdt - Denmark, Porto
7. Myles Lewis-Skelly - England, Arsenal
8. Rayan - Brazil, Bournemouth
9. Jorrel Hato - Netherlands, Chelsea
10. Lennart Karl - Germany, Bayern Munich
11. Estevao - Brazil, Chelsea
12. Endrick - Brazil, Real Madrid
13. Junior Kroupi - France, Bournemouth
14. Gianluca Prestianni - Argentina, Benfica
15. Konstantinos Karetsas - Greece, Borussia Dortmund
16. Said El Mala - Germany, Cologne
17. Jon Martin - Spain, Real Sociedad
18. Marc Bernal - Spain, Barcelona
19. Kerim Alajbegovic - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Juventus
20. Finn Jeltsch - Germany, Stuttgart
Wildcard Entries
21. Charalampos Kostoulas - Greece, Brighton
22. Joane Gadou - France, Borussia Dortmund
23. Franco Mastantuono - Argentina, Fiorentina
24. Rodrigo Mora - Portugal, Roma
25. Xavi Espart - Spain, Barcelona
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