Pau Cubarsí has been crowned the 2026 Golden Boy, the award recognizing the world's best young soccer player under the age of 21. The 19-year-old Barcelona center back's victory was officially announced at a ceremony in Sassuolo on Monday, November 9.
Created by Massimo Franchi and awarded by Italian newspaper Tuttosport since 2003, the Golden Boy has become one of soccer's most prestigious individual accolades for emerging talent. Cubarsí won by an overwhelming majority over 24 other candidates who were selected through the Golden Boy Benchmark, a system that evaluates performances, along with five wild-card nominees chosen to recognize late-emerging talents. The final decision came down to a vote by 30 journalists from across Europe, including a representative from AS.
The award comes just weeks after Cubarsí missed out on the Kopa Trophy by two points, with Lamine Yamal claiming that prize for the third consecutive year. This time, there was no doubt about who deserved the honor, as the World Cup-winning defender won by a landslide.
Barcelona's dominance of the Golden Boy is notable, with five La Masía graduates now among its winners: Lionel Messi, Pedri, Gavi, Lamine Yamal and now Cubarsí. Cesc Fàbregas also won the award, though he was playing for Arsenal at the time. Manchester United, Manchester City, Ajax, Atlético Madrid and PSG have each produced two winners.
Cubarsí joins a select group of past winners
Cubarsí is only the second defender to win the Golden Boy, following Matthijs de Ligt's triumph in 2018. Every other winner has been a midfielder or forward, a list that includes Messi, Sergio Agüero, Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, João Félix and Erling Haaland. Cristiano Ronaldo has never won the award.
Cubarsí succeeds Désiré Doué, who won in 2025, and Yamal, the 2024 recipient. Of the 23 players to have received the Golden Boy, which can only be won once, six have been Spanish. Cesc Fàbregas was the first, earning the award in 2006 while at Arsenal, followed by Isco during his time at Málaga, then Pedri, Gavi, Yamal and now Cubarsí.
This year's nominees also included Real Sociedad defender Jon Martín, Marc Bernal and Xavi Espart, the latter receiving a wild-card nomination following his sudden emergence at the highest level.
Real Madrid's Diomandé already in contention for 2027
Several other nominees had connections to Spanish soccer, including Diomandé, Endrick and Franco Mastantuono. The wider shortlist also featured Warren Zaïre-Emery of PSG, Ayyoub Bouaddi of Manchester City, Karl of Bayern Munich, Rodrigo Mora of Roma and Estêvão of Chelsea.
Real Madrid first appeared among Golden Boy winners in 2023, when Bellingham claimed the award. Diomandé is already shaping up as a leading contender for next year's prize given the level of performance he has shown since joining Real Madrid.
