Barcelona lead 2026 Golden Boy shortlist as 25 finalists are announced

Tuttosport have announced the 25 finalists for the 2026 Golden Boy award, with Barcelona providing more nominees than any other club and Morocco international Ayoub Bouaddi the only Arab player included.

The annual award, first presented by the Italian newspaper in 2003, recognises the best European-based player aged under 21. Candidates must have been born in 2006 or later and played in one of Europe’s 25 major leagues during the assessment period.

Eight of the finalists play in the Premier League. Bouaddi leads the English contingent at Manchester City, alongside Estevao and Jorrel Hato of Chelsea, Junior Kroupi and Ryan of Bournemouth, Luka Vuskovic of Brighton, Myles Lewis-Skelly of Arsenal and Charalampos Kostoulas of Brighton.

La Liga contributes six players. Barcelona are represented by Pau Cubarsi, Marc Bernal and Xavi Espart, while Real Madrid have Endrick and Yan Diomande on the list. Real Sociedad’s John Martin completes the Spanish league contingent.

The Bundesliga has five nominees: Bayern Munich’s Lennart Karl, Said El Mala of Koln, Konstantinos Karetsas and Joan Gado of Borussia Dortmund, and Finn Jeltsch of Stuttgart.

Three players come from Serie A: Karem Alaybegovic of Juventus, Franco Mastantuono of Fiorentina and Rodrigo Mora of Roma. Paris Saint-Germain’s Warren Zaire-Emery is the only representative from Ligue 1.

The final two places go to players from Portugal’s top flight, with Vitor Froholdt of Porto and Gianluca Prestianni of Benfica completing the 25-man shortlist.

Barcelona lead club standings

The finalists represent 14 nations. Spain has the largest number of nominees with four, followed by Germany, Brazil and France with three each. Greece and Argentina contribute two players apiece.

Barcelona are the best-represented club, with three players selected. Bayern Munich midfielder Lennart Karl, born on 22 February 2008, is the youngest player among the finalists.

The combined market value of the 25 nominees is €1,303,000,000, according to Transfermarkt, which is a partner in presenting the award. That figure represents a 56.65% increase on the total recorded in January 2026, when the group’s combined value was €832,300,000.