Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport has officially unveiled the final 25-man shortlist for the prestigious 2026 Golden Boy Award, which recognises the best young player in European football.
Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí leads the list of nominees and is widely regarded as one of the leading contenders for the coveted prize. He is joined by several of Europe’s brightest young talents, including Yan Diomande, who completed a summer move from RB Leipzig to Real Madrid, as well as a host of highly rated prospects from the continent’s top leagues.
The full list of 25 finalists for the 2026 Golden Boy Award is:
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Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona)
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Ayyoub Bouaddi (Manchester City)
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Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)
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Yan Diomande (Real Madrid)
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Luka Vuškovic (Brighton)
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Victor Froholdt (Porto)
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Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal)
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Rayan (Bournemouth)
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Jorrel Hato (Chelsea)
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Lennart Karl (FC Bayern)
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Estêvão (Chelsea)
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Endrick (Real Madrid)
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Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth)
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Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica)
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Kōnstantinos Karetsas (Borussia Dortmund)
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Saïd El Mala (Köln)
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Jon Martín (Real Sociedad)
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Marc Bernal (Barcelona)
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Kerim Alajbegović (Juventus)
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Finn Jeltsch (Stuttgart)
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Charalampos Kostoulas (Brighton)
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Joane Gadou (Borussia Dortmund)
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Rodrigo Mora (Roma)
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Franco Mastantuono (Fiorentina, on loan from Real Madrid)
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Xavi Espart (Barcelona)
