Pau Cubarsí leads Golden Boy 2026 race, with Lamine Yamal and Yan Diomande follow respectively
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Pau Cubarsí currently leads the 2026 Golden Boy standings released by Tuttosport.
Lamine Yamal is second, but he cannot win the award again after claiming it in 2024.
RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande is currently third in the race ahead of the final voting later this year.
Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí is currently leading the race for the 2026 Golden Boy award, according to the latest standings released by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport.
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Cubarsí sits at the top of the early standings, ahead of fellow Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, with RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande currently in third. The final outcome is still to be decided, before the winner is announced later this year.
Despite Lamine Yamal's presence near the top the Barcelona forward is not eligible to win the main Golden Boy award again because the competition's rules do not allow a previous winner to claim the prize a second time. Yamal won the Golden Boy award in 2024.
The award recognises the best young player aged under 21 playing in Europe's top domestic leagues. The final winner is selected through the votes of a panel of European journalists, alongside the award's performance index.
Cubarsí, born in January 2007, has established himself as an important member of Barcelona's first team despite his young age.
The centre-back made his senior debut in January 2024 and quickly became a regular under then-manager Hansi Flick. During the 2024/25 season, he helped Barcelona win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
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He has continued to develop into one of Europe's highly regarded young defenders and has already passed 100 competitive appearances for Barcelona's first team.
The competition remains open, however, and the standings can change as the voting process is ongoing.
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