Real Madrid’s continued investment in young talent has been rewarded with recognition on one of European football’s most prestigious individual stages.
Three Real Madrid players have been named on the list of nominees for the 2026 Golden Boy award, handed out annually by Italian newspaper Tuttosport to the best young player in the European leagues.
The three nominees
Diomande has recently joined Real Madrid. (Photo courtesy: Real Madrid official website)
As reported by Arancha Rodriguez, Yan Diomande, Endrick and Thiago Pitarch are the three players to have made the list.
Diomande is the newest addition, having recently completed his big-money move from RB Leipzig.
The Ivorian arrives on the back of a stunning debut Bundesliga campaign and a strong World Cup, and is expected to be a key attacking option for Jose Mourinho.
Endrick, meanwhile, returns from a successful loan spell at Lyon, where he impressed with eight goals and seven assists, though his immediate future remains uncertain amid interest from Roma and Aston Villa.
Pitarch, the young Spanish midfielder, completes the trio, having earned Mourinho’s trust to the point that the coach blocked his exit this summer despite interest from Fulham.
To qualify for the award, a player must have been born after January 1, 2006, and be registered with one of the 25 strongest European leagues.
Strong competition awaits
Cubarsi is the likely favourite to win the Golden Boy award. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
The three Real Madrid players face stiff competition, with the preliminary list running to 100 names before it is eventually trimmed down.
Among the standout candidates are Barcelona star Pau Cubarsi, along with the likes of Warren Zaire-Emery, Estevao, Lennart Karl, Ethan Nwaneri, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Borussia Dortmund’s newest addition, Kostas Karetsas.
Tuttosport will update the ranking every month before reducing it to a final shortlist of 20, with a panel of 50 journalists from leading European media outlets ultimately deciding the winner.
The most recent Golden Boy is PSG’s Desire Doue, who claimed the 2025 award comfortably ahead of Real Madrid’s Arda Guler in second place.
Los Blancos will be hoping one of their nominees can go one better this time around, further underlining the club’s status as a home for elite young talent.