Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí wins 2026 Golden Boy award
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on 3News
Spanish FC Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí, 19, has won the 2026 Golden Boy award, which recognises the best European footballer under 21 playing for a club. He finished nearly 250 points ahead of Yan Diomande and becomes only the second defender honoured in 24 editions, according to Italian daily Tuttosport.
Barcelona and Spain centre-back Pau Cubarsí has won the 2026 Golden Boy award, which recognises the best footballer under 21 playing for a European club, Italian sports daily Tuttosport announced on Monday at the Mapei training centre in Sassuolo.
Aged 19, Cubarsí finished nearly 250 points ahead of second-placed Yan Diomande of Real Madrid, while Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery came third. He succeeds PSG forward Désiré Doué, the 2025 winner, and becomes only the second defender honoured in 24 editions, after Dutchman Matthijs de Ligt in 2018.
Cubarsí played 48 matches, 45 of them as a starter, during Barcelona's 2025/2026 season, which ended with the Spanish Super Cup and La Liga. He then played all eight of Spain's matches at the 2026 World Cup, won 1-0 in the final against Argentina, and received the tournament's best young player award. The official presentation of the trophy will take place in Turin on Monday 14 December.
In the other categories, Felicia Schröder (Real Madrid) received the Golden Girl Absolute Best award, Honest Ahanor (Crystal Palace) the award for best Italian Golden Boy and Giulia Galli (Barcelona) that for best Italian Golden Girl.
