Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport has named Barcelona's 19-year-old central defender Pau Cubarsi as the winner of the 2026 Golden Boy award.
According to Tuttosport, the prestigious annual accolade honors the best under-21 footballer playing across European leagues, with the announcement made during a ceremony in Sassuolo.
Cubarsi becomes only the second defender in history to claim the award, following Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt who won it back in 2018.
Over the past three editions, the Golden Boy trophy was awarded to Jude Bellingham, Lamine Yamal, and Desire Doue respectively.
Under the regulations established by Tuttosport, a footballer can only win the award once in their career, meaning 2024 recipient Lamine Yamal was ineligible despite fitting the age bracket.
The official presentation ceremony is scheduled to take place on December 14 of this year in Turin, where Cubarsi will officially collect his trophy.
The teenager secured the La Liga title with Barcelona last season and played a pivotal role in Spain winning the 2026 World Cup, where he was also voted the tournament's best young player.
In additional honors announced by Tuttosport, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland was selected as the best player over the age of 21 in Europe.
Source: Tuttosport
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