Barcelona’s Cubarsí Leads Star-Studded Golden Boy 2026 Shortlist

Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport has announced the final 25 nominees for the 2026 Golden Boy Award, an annual prize recognising the outstanding young footballer in European football.

Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí is among the leading contenders for this year’s award and headlines a shortlist packed with some of the most promising young talents across Europe’s major leagues.

The final list also includes several high-profile names, including Manchester City’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery, Real Madrid’s Yan Diomande and Endrick, as well as Chelsea duo Estêvão and Jorrel Hato.

Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly, Bayern Munich’s Lennart Karl and Borussia Dortmund midfielder K?nstantinos Karetsas are also among the finalists.

The complete 25-man shortlist is:

• Pau Cubarsí — Barcelona
• Ayyoub Bouaddi — Manchester City
• Warren Zaïre-Emery — Paris Saint-Germain
• Yan Diomande — Real Madrid
• Luka Vuškovic — Brighton
• Victor Froholdt — Porto
• Myles Lewis-Skelly — Arsenal
• Rayan — Bournemouth
• Jorrel Hato — Chelsea
• Lennart Karl — Bayern Munich
• Estêvão — Chelsea
• Endrick — Real Madrid
• Junior Kroupi — Bournemouth
• Gianluca Prestianni — Benfica
• K?nstantinos Karetsas — Borussia Dortmund
• Saïd El Mala — Köln
• Jon Martín — Real Sociedad
• Marc Bernal — Barcelona
• Kerim Alajbegovi? — Juventus
• Finn Jeltsch — Stuttgart
• Charalampos Kostoulas — Brighton
• Joane Gadou — Borussia Dortmund
• Rodrigo Mora — Roma
• Franco Mastantuono — Fiorentina, on loan from Real Madrid
• Xavi Espart — Barcelona

The Golden Boy award is regarded as one of the most prestigious individual honours for young players in European football, with previous winners including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham.

The 2026 winner will emerge from the final group of 25 nominees after impressing during the eligibility period.