Pau Cubarsí heads into the final stage of the Golden Boy race as the clear favorite. The 19-year-old Barcelona center-back tops the Tuttosport index that filters Europe’s best under-21 players, and he arrives at the shortlist stage with the Best Young Player award from Spain’s victorious 2026 World Cup already on his shelf.

Lamine Yamal is absent, despite being the odds-on favorite for this year’s Ballon d’Or. Golden Boy rules bar previous winners, and the Barcelona forward took the trophy in 2024. Désiré Doué of Paris Saint-Germain, who followed Yamal as the 2025 winner, is likewise off the list.

Eight Premier League names

The Premier League has more nominees than any other league. Chelsea winger Estêvão and Arsenal left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly carry the biggest profiles, with Jorrel Hato also at Chelsea, Luka Vuskovic and Charalampos Kostoulas at Brighton, Eli Junior Kroupi and Rayan at Bournemouth, and Bouaddi completing the eight at Manchester City.

Spanish clubs are next with six. Barcelona place three, Cubarsí plus his teammates Marc Bernal and Xavi Espart, while Real Madrid add Yan Diomande and Endrick, and Real Sociedad’s Jon Martín rounds out the Spain-based contingent. A third Real Madrid player, the Argentine Franco Mastantuono, also features on the shortlist, but he is counted elsewhere while on loan at Fiorentina.

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50 journalists decide the winner

The winner is chosen by 50 journalists from media outlets across Europe, each ranking their picks from the shortlist. Tuttosport organizes the vote and will present the trophy at a ceremony in Turin in December.

Twenty of the 25 slots are generated by the Golden Boy Index developed by Football Benchmark. Tuttosport then adds five wildcard picks, this year that batch included Espart, who would not have made it through the index alone.

From Doué to Cubarsí

Doué won the 2025 edition after a debut season at PSG that ended with the Champions League, Ligue 1, the French Cup and the French Super Cup. Yamal took the 2024 award, with Barcelona teammates Gavi and Pedri collecting earlier editions.

Cubarsí is positioned to extend Barcelona’s run. He has started almost every match for the Catalan club through the past year and anchored Spain’s run to the World Cup title. On the index, Bouaddi and Zaïre-Emery are the closest challengers. The 50 journalists will cast their ballots over the coming weeks before the Turin ceremony.

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