Cubarsí Wins 2026 Golden Boy With 475 of 500 Points as Barcelona Reach Five Winners

Barcelona centre-back Pau Cubarsí, 19, has won Tuttosport's 2026 Golden Boy award for Europe's best under-21 player, according to Football España. He took 475 of 500 points, a margin the report described as one-sided, with no other candidate close.

The report said Corriere dello Sport described Cubarsí as only the second defender ever to win the prize. He succeeds PSG's Désiré Doué, the 2025 winner, and joins a Barcelona list featuring Messi, Pedri, Gavi and Lamine Yamal. Pedri won in 2021, Gavi in 2022 and Lamine Yamal in 2024; no player can win the award twice.

Per the report, Cubarsí was a big part of Barcelona's LaLiga and Super Cup wins and was named young player of the tournament as Spain won the World Cup, starting all eight games. Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final, keeping seven clean sheets and conceding once, in a 2-1 quarter-final win over Belgium. He also received FIFA's Young Player Award, the report said, becoming the first defender to do so.

Three of Monday's winners came from Barcelona, according to the report: Joan Laporta took the Best President award and Barça Femení B's Giulia Galli won the Best Italian Golden Girl prize, while Jorge Mendes was named Best Agent. The prizes are to be handed out at a ceremony in Turin on 14 December.