Barcelona centre-back Pau Cubarsí has won the 2026 Golden Boy award, the prize given to the best U21 men’s player in the world.
Cubarsí, who succeeds Paris Saint-Germain‘s Désiré Doué, becomes the fourth Barça player to win the men’s accolade in the last six years, following teammates Pedri, Gavi and Lamine Yamal.
The 19-year-old is also the first defender to receive the honour since Manchester United‘s Matthijs de Ligt, playing for Ajax at the time, won it in 2018.
Other previous winners since the illustrious award was established by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport in 2003 include Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi.
Tuttosport draw up an initial list of 100 nominees, with a panel of journalists from across 22 European countries then voting for the winner.
Cubarsí is rewarded for an excellent season with club and country.
He was a key player as Spain won the World Cup last summer in North America, where he was named Young Player of the Tournmanent after helping La Roja concede just one goal in eight games.
The teenager also played a big role as Barça won a second successive league title under Hansi Flick, making 31 appearances in the middle of the back four.
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Those performances elevated him to a 12th-placed finish in the 2026 Ballon d’Or, making him the highest ranked defender this year.
