Pau Cubarsi wins 2026 Golden Boy award after dominant vote

Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi has won the 2026 Golden Boy award, presented to the best young player in the world aged under 21.

The 19-year-old Spain international finished well clear of the other 24 nominees, who were selected from the Benchmark list. That system assesses players according to their level and performances, while the organising committee also has five wildcard selections to recognise emerging talent late in the process.

The final decision was made by a panel of 30 journalists from across Europe, with Cubarsi winning the vote by a substantial margin.

The Golden Boy award was created by Massimo Franchi and has been presented by Italian newspaper Tuttosport since 2003. It is restricted to players under the age of 21 who play in European leagues and has become one of the leading awards for assessing young footballing talent.

Cubarsi had narrowly missed out on the Kopa Trophy several weeks earlier, losing by just two points to Lamine Yamal, who claimed that award for the third consecutive year. This time, however, there was no comparable uncertainty over the Barcelona defender’s success.

The result helps ease the disappointment of leaving the Ballon d’Or ceremony without an individual prize and further underlines Barcelona’s influence on the Golden Boy award.

Five previous winners came through the club’s La Masia academy: Lionel Messi, Pedri, Gavi and Yamal, with Cubarsi now joining them. Cesc Fabregas also won the award in 2006, although he was playing for Arsenal at the time.

Cubarsi is only the second defender to receive the Golden Boy award. The first was Netherlands international Matthijs de Ligt, who won in 2018.

Every other winner has been a midfielder or forward. The list includes some of the most prominent names in world football, including Messi, Sergio Aguero, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Joao Felix and Erling Haaland. Cristiano Ronaldo has never won the award.

Cubarsi succeeds France international Desire Doue, who collected the 2025 prize, and Yamal, the 2024 winner.

There have now been 23 winners in total, including six players from Spain. Unlike the Kopa Trophy, presented by France Football, the Golden Boy can only be won once by each player.

Fabregas became the first Spanish winner in 2006 during his time at Arsenal. Isco followed while playing for Malaga, before the award went to Pedri, Gavi, Yamal and now Cubarsi.

The award announcement is dated 22 November 2026 and is listed alongside Barcelona’s La Liga meeting with Villarreal.