Ayyoub Bouaddi Takes on Cubarsí for 2026 European Golden Boy Award

The 25 finalists for the 2026 European Golden Boy Award – Best Ever were revealed at Villa Fürstenberg, the headquarters of Banca Ifis in Venice’s Mestre district.

The list features the top 20 players from the October edition of the European Golden Boy Top 100, a ranking of the best U21 players at European clubs compiled by the award’s main partner, Transfermarkt. It is joined by five players selected through the illimity Banca Ifis-Ifis Sport Wild Cards, which were awarded to players ranked between 21st and 100th.

The international jury for the European Golden Boy Award will now select the Best Ever winner from the 25 finalists. The jury consists of 50 journalists from across Europe.

The winner will be announced at a press conference scheduled for November, alongside the winners of the award’s other categories.

The 25 finalists represent 14 countries, with Spain leading the way with four players, followed by Germany, Brazil and France with three players each. Greece and Argentina have two players apiece.

The Premier League is the most represented competition, with eight finalists, followed by La Liga with six, the Bundesliga with five and Serie A with three.

Barcelona is the best-represented club, with three players, while the youngest finalist is Bayern Munich’s Lennart Karl, who was born on February 22nd, 2008.

The 25 finalists have a combined market value of around EUR 1.303 billion, up 56.65% from January 2026, when their total market value stood at EUR 832.3 million.

In the latest update, Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal ranked second in the Top 100. However, the European Golden Boy Award regulations state that a player cannot win the award twice. As Yamal won the Golden Boy in 2024, he does not appear among the 25 finalists.

Top 20 Players in the Ranking

1. Pau Cubarsí – 2007 – Spain – Barcelona

2. Lamine Yamal – 2007 – Spain – Barcelona

3. Ayyoub Bouaddi – 2007 – Morocco – Manchester City

4. Warren Zaïre-Emery – 2006 – France – Paris Saint-Germain

5. Yan Diomande – 2006 – Ivory Coast – Real Madrid

6. Luka Vušković – 2007 – Croatia – Brighton

7. Victor Froholdt – 2006 – Denmark – Porto

8. Myles Lewis-Skelly – 2006 – England – Arsenal

9. Ryan – 2006 – Brazil – Bournemouth

10. Jorrel Hato – 2006 – Netherlands – Chelsea

11. Lennart Karl – 2008 – Germany – Bayern Munich

12. Estêvão – 2007 – Brazil – Chelsea

13. Endrick – 2006 – Brazil – Real Madrid

14. Junior Kroupi – 2006 – France – Bournemouth

15. Gianluca Prestianni – 2006 – Argentina – Benfica

16. Konstantinos Karetsas – 2007 – Greece – Borussia Dortmund

17. Said El Mala – 2006 – Germany – Köln

18. Jon Martín – 2006 – Spain – Real Sociedad

19. Marc Bernal – 2007 – Spain – Barcelona

20. Kerim Alajbegović – 2007 – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Juventus

Wild Cards

Charalampos Kostoulas – 2007 – Greece – Brighton

Joane Gadou – 2007 – France – Borussia Dortmund

Franco Mastantuono – 2007 – Argentina – Fiorentina

Rodrigo Mora – 2007 – Portugal – Roma

Xavi Espart – 2007 – Spain – Barcelona