The 25 finalists for the 2026 Golden Boy award have been announced, with Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí leading a star-studded list of Europe’s best young footballers.
The shortlist was released by Tuttosport on Monday, October 5, with players from some of Europe’s biggest clubs competing for the prestigious individual award.
Cubarsí sits at the top of the latest Golden Boy ranking, ahead of Manchester City midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, Paris Saint-Germain’s Warren Zaïre-Emery and Real Madrid forward Yan Diomande.
The award recognises the best player aged under 21 playing for a European club.
Barcelona Lead the Club Representation
Barcelona have the largest representation among the finalists, with three players on the final list: Cubarsí, Marc Bernal and Xavi Espart.
The Catalan club has a strong history at the Golden Boy awards. Barcelona players have won the prize four times, including Lionel Messi in 2005, Pedri in 2021, Gavi in 2022 and Lamine Yamal in 2024.
However, Yamal will not be able to defend his title this year because Golden Boy rules prevent a previous winner from winning the award for a second time. Despite ranking second in the latest Top 100, he was therefore excluded from the final 25.
Premier League Has Eight Finalists
The Premier League is the best-represented competition, with eight players among the 25 finalists.
They include Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly, Chelsea duo Jorrel Hato and Estêvão, Manchester City's Bouaddi and Bournemouth pair Rayan and Junior Kroupi. Brighton also have Luka Vušković and Charalampos Kostoulas on the list.
La Liga has six representatives, while the Bundesliga has five and Serie A has three.
Real Madrid and Chelsea Among the Standout Clubs
Real Madrid have three players on the shortlist: Yan Diomande, Endrick and Franco Mastantuono, with Mastantuono included as one of the five wild-card selections after moving to Fiorentina on loan.
Chelsea have two finalists in Brazilian forward Estêvão and Dutch defender Jorrel Hato.
Estêvão has established himself as an important part of Chelsea's squad following his move from Palmeiras, while Hato has also become a regular presence for the London club. Chelsea confirmed both players' nominations following their performances for club and country.
Bayern Munich's Lennart Karl, born in February 2008, is the youngest player on the shortlist.
Five Players Receive Wild Cards
The final shortlist consists of the top 20 eligible players from the October Golden Boy ranking plus five players selected as wild cards by the organisers.
The wild-card selections are:
• Charalampos Kostoulas — Brighton
• Joane Gadou — Borussia Dortmund
• Franco Mastantuono — Fiorentina, on loan from Real Madrid
• Rodrigo Mora — Roma
• Xavi Espart — Barcelona
The inclusion of Espart gives Barcelona their third finalist.
Full List of Golden Boy 2026 Finalists
1. Pau Cubarsí — Barcelona 🇪🇸
2. Ayyoub Bouaddi — Manchester City 🇲🇦
3. Warren Zaïre-Emery — Paris Saint-Germain 🇫🇷
4. Yan Diomande — Real Madrid 🇨🇮
5. Luka Vušković — Brighton 🇭🇷
6. Victor Froholdt — Porto 🇩🇰
7. Myles Lewis-Skelly — Arsenal 🏴
8. Rayan — Bournemouth 🇧🇷
9. Jorrel Hato — Chelsea 🇳🇱
10. Lennart Karl — Bayern Munich 🇩🇪
11. Estêvão — Chelsea 🇧🇷
12. Endrick — Real Madrid 🇧🇷
13. Junior Kroupi — Bournemouth 🇫🇷
14. Gianluca Prestianni — Benfica 🇦🇷
15. Konstantinos Karetsas — Borussia Dortmund 🇬🇷
16. Saïd El Mala — Köln 🇩🇪
17. Jon Martín — Real Sociedad 🇪🇸
18. Marc Bernal — Barcelona 🇪🇸
19. Kerim Alajbegović — Juventus 🇧🇦
20. Finn Jeltsch — Stuttgart 🇩🇪
21. Charalampos Kostoulas — Brighton 🇬🇷
22. Joane Gadou — Borussia Dortmund 🇫🇷
23. Franco Mastantuono — Fiorentina 🇦🇷
24. Rodrigo Mora — Roma 🇵🇹
25. Xavi Espart — Barcelona 🇪🇸
Winner to Be Announced in November
The eventual winner will be selected by an international jury of 50 journalists from European football publications.
The winner is expected to be announced in November, with the trophy ceremony scheduled for December in Turin, Italy. Paris Saint-Germain's Désiré Doué won the 2025 edition.
With Cubarsí, Bouaddi, Diomande, Estêvão, Endrick, Lewis-Skelly and several other highly rated youngsters in contention, the 2026 Golden Boy race brings together one of the strongest groups of emerging European football talent.
