Golden Boy-2026: The race of new stars in European football has begun
Who will be the biggest star of the new generation in European football? A race has begun to find the answer among young talents playing for giants such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal, PSG, and Bayern Munich.
Italy's Tuttosport newspaper has announced the list of nominees for the Golden Boy-2026 award. The list includes 25 players under the age of 21 playing in Europe's top leagues.
Among this year's candidates, alongside players who are already drawing the attention of world football, there are also talents expected to step onto the big stage in the coming years.
Multiple nominees from Real Madrid and Barcelona
The list announced for Golden Boy-2026 stands out with Spain's two giant clubs.
Nominees from Barcelona include Pau Cubarsi, Marc Bernal, and Xavi Espart.
From Real Madrid, Yanis Diomande and Endrick have made the list. Additionally, Franco Mastantuono is also listed as a Real Madrid/Fiorentina player.
This alone shows how much attention Spain's giants pay to developing young footballers in the battle for this award.
Two strong contenders at Chelsea as well
London club Chelsea is also represented on the list with two players.
They are Jorrel Hato and Estevao.
Especially the name Estevao has been mentioned lately among the young talents generating great interest in world football.
Apart from Chelsea, Arsenal and Bournemouth also have their representatives on the list.
Arsenal is represented by Myles Lewis-Skelly, while Bournemouth is represented by Ryan Rochat and Eli Junior Kroupi.
Full list of Golden Boy-2026 nominees
The candidates announced by Tuttosport are as follows:
Pau Cubarsi — Barcelona;
Ayyoub Bouaddi — Manchester City;
Warren Zaïre-Emery — PSG;
Yanis Diomande — Real Madrid;
Luka Vušković — Brighton;
Victor Froholdt — Porto;
Myles Lewis-Skelly — Arsenal;
Ryan Rochat — Bournemouth;
Jorrel Hato — Chelsea;
Lennart Karl — Bayern Munich;
Estevao — Chelsea;
Endrick — Real Madrid;
Eli Junior Kroupi — Bournemouth;
Gianluca Prestianni — Benfica;
Konstantinos Karetsas — Borussia Dortmund;
Said El Mala — Cologne;
Jon Martín — Real Sociedad;
Marc Bernal — Barcelona;
Karim Alaybegovic — Juventus;
Finn Jeltsch — Stuttgart;
Charalampos Kostoulas — Brighton;
Kouaku Gadou — Borussia Dortmund;
Franco Mastantuono — Real Madrid/Fiorentina;
Rodrigo Mora — Roma;
Xavi Espart — Barcelona.
An award given for the future, not for goals
The Golden Boy award is not a simple individual prize. It aims to identify the brightest and most promising representatives of the new generation in European football.
In the fight for the award, along with the player's age, their participation in high-level competitions, impact, and development rate are of great importance.
Therefore, each player's performance throughout the season on the list is decisive.
A young player fighting for his club's starting lineup today could become one of the biggest stars in European football tomorrow.
What is the biggest intrigue in this list?
Judging by the list of nominees for Golden Boy-2026, the competition for the award is expected to be extremely fierce.
On one side are the young stars of Real Madrid and Barcelona, and on the other are representatives of Chelsea, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, PSG, and Manchester City.
Another interesting aspect is the presence of players from various positions on the list. This means the battle for the trophy will not be limited solely to goals or attacking efficiency.
Now the main question is one: Among the 25 young talents, who will be the new "Golden Boy" of European football?
The answer will depend on the results throughout the season, individual play, and how well the young players can showcase themselves on the big stage.
Comments 0
…