"Sport" newspaper revealed the ranking of candidates for the Golden Boy award in 2026, after the past season concluded and the World Cup was played, which ended with the Spanish national team winning the title for the second time in its history.
The Golden Boy award is given to the best young player in the world at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, held at the end of each year.
The newspaper stated that Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí is considered the frontrunner to win the Golden Boy award this year, as the young player topped the list in its latest update today, ahead of his Barcelona and Spanish national team teammate Lamine Yamal by 700 points, with the right winger in second place.
"Sport" praised Cubarsí's abilities and his leadership of Barcelona's defense following the departure of Iñigo Martínez to Al-Nassr, as the young player managed to fend off the world's best strikers in the World Cup.
Cubarsí helped Spain win the World Cup, with La Roja conceding only one goal in the tournament, while the 19-year-old received the award for best young player at the World Cup.
The newspaper added that Real Madrid's new signing Yianni Diomande ranked third on the list of Golden Boy candidates, while Paris Saint-Germain player Warren Zaïre-Emery came fourth, 6,000 points behind Cubarsí.
Read also .. Barcelona makes an important decision regarding Koundé's future
"Sport" also noted that Lille and Morocco star Ayoub Bouaddi, a candidate to move to Manchester City to replace the expected departure of Rodri, came fifth on the list.
The newspaper continued, saying that the Golden Boy list does not only include Cubarsí and Yamal from Barcelona, but also Marc Bernal, who is among the top 100 young players, ranking 20th as a midfielder.
Additional players from Real Madrid appeared on the list alongside Diomande, namely Endrick in eighth place and Thiago Pitarch in 40th.
Porto is the bride of this list, with five players from its ranks, while "Sport" further explained that the English Premier League has the largest number of players among the top 100 in the list among European leagues, with 26 players.
The German league ranks second on this list with 18 players, while the French league came third with 14 players, and the Italian league ranked fourth with 9 players.
"Sport" concluded by noting that the Golden Boy award will be given to players born in 2006, with the list including these players from around 25 European leagues worldwide, while the Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held on October 26 in London.
Barcelona has dominated the Golden Boy award in recent years, with Pedri winning it in 2021, Gavi in 2022, and Lamine Yamal in 2024.
