Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí wins 2026 Golden Boy

Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí has won the 2026 Golden Boy award, which recognizes the best under-21 player in European football. The club announced the result on November 9. Cubarsí, 19, is the first defender to receive the prize since Matthijs de Ligt in 2018.

The award is decided by a jury of 50 journalists, who select a winner from a group of finalists. The competition was established in 2003. Cubarsí’s win makes him the fifth Barcelona player to receive the award, after Lionel Messi, Pedri, Gavi and Lamine Yamal. Pedri won in 2021, Gavi in 2022 and Yamal in 2024. Players cannot win the prize more than once.

Cubarsí follows 2025 winner Désiré Doué of Paris Saint-Germain. Recent recipients have also included Erling Haaland in 2020 and Jude Bellingham in 2023. The award’s history includes several players who later became prominent figures in European football, among them Messi and Kylian Mbappé.

Cubarsí’s recognition follows a season in which he helped Barcelona win La Liga and played for Spain at the World Cup. He was also named the tournament’s young player, according to reporting on the award. A separate account said he started all eight of Spain’s matches at the tournament,...