Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi is emerging as the leading candidate to win the 2026 Golden Boy award following an outstanding year for both club and country.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the 19-year-old centre-back is currently regarded as a strong favourite for the prestigious award, which recognises the best young footballer playing in Europe aged under 21.
Cubarsi’s chances received a major boost after his performances for Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he was named Best Young Player of the tournament.
His displays on one of football’s biggest stages have now placed him at the front of the race for another individual honour.
Cubarsi ahead of Lamine and Diomande in Golden Boy race
As such, Cubarsi currently leads the Golden Boy 2026 rankings ahead of teammate Lamine Yamal, while new Real Madrid signing Yan Diomande is also among the leading contenders.
It is observed that forwards often dominate individual awards, which makes the Barcelona defender’s position at the top of the Golden Boy race even more notable.
In fact, according to the latest update, Cubarsi is ahead of Lamine Yamal in the provisional standings.
Most notably, it is important to remember that Yamal is not eligible to win the award again after previously claiming the Golden Boy in 2024.
Yan Diomande, Real Madrid’s new signing, currently completes the provisional podium.
Behind the top three, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery and Lille’s Ayoub Bouaddi round out the top five contenders.
The presence of Cubarsi at the top shows just how highly his development is being rated across European football.
At only 19, he has already established himself as one of the most promising young defenders of his generation.
Cubarsi could become Barcelona’s fifth Golden Boy winner
If Cubarsi goes on to win the award, he would become the fifth player to claim the Golden Boy while representing Barcelona.
Lionel Messi was the first Barcelona player to win the honour in 2005. Pedri followed in 2021, before Gavi won it in 2022 and Lamine Yamal added his name to the list in 2024.
Former Barcelona players such as Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Aguero and Joao Felix have also won the award during their careers, although none of them did so while playing for the Catalan club.
Despite these developments, the race is not completely settled, though.
While experts reportedly consider Cubarsi the leading candidate, the fan vote on Tuttosport’s website currently tells a different story.
Juventus newcomer Kerim Alajbegovic is leading the public vote with 48.3%, ahead of Cubarsi’s 41.2%. That gap, however, does not necessarily determine who will ultimately receive the award.