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Who might win the Golden Boy award in 2026?

Who might win the Golden Boy award in 2026?
Estevão Willian is one of the main candidates

Last year the winner of the Golden Boy award was Paris Saint-Germain's Frenchman Désiré Doué, a win that didn't come as a surprise to anyone. So which players are the main contenders this year?

In recent years there have been pretty clear favourites to win, with Jude Bellingham in 2023, Lamine Yamal in 2024 and Doué in 2025. However, this year is a different story: it is a very open race.

We are still at the beginning of the year and apart from the most important club tournament, the UEFA Champions League, we also have the FIFA World Cup this coming summer. Making a strong impression in these tournaments will most likely be crucial to winning the award. Just look at Doué last year, who was brilliant in the UEFA Champions League final, which was one of the strongest reasons that he won. So there are still plenty of opportunities for young players to prove themselves.

To be eligible to win the award this year, players have to be born in 2006 or later (U21 criteria). This actually means that the 2024 winner Lamine Yamal is within the age limit, but since he has already received the prize, he cannot win again (it’s generally treated as a rule/convention that the same player doesn’t win twice).

The main favourites to win 2026

Just because there is no clear number one contender for the award doesn't mean that there are not any favourites. These are our three top candidates this year.

Pau Cubarsí, Barcelona, Spain

Pau Cubarsí, born 22 January 2007

Three out of the last five winners are Barcelona players (apart from Yamal, Gavi won in 2022 and Pedri in 2021), and one of the strongest candidates this year is another player from Barcelona: Pau Cubarsí. The central defender was actually on the shortlist last year, despite his young age. Since mid-season 2023/24 he has been a starting defender in Barcelona and is already well established in the Spanish national team.

Estevão Willian, born 24 April 2007

The Brazilian winger Estevão Willian (or just Estevão) is doing his first season in Chelsea and is slowly starting to get established in the Premier League team. He has also started in three out of four friendlies for the Brazilian national team and scored four goals in those matches, and is expected to be an important player for Brazil in this summer's FIFA World Cup.

Warren Zaïre-Emery, born 8 March 2006

Paris Saint-Germain's midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery has been on the shortlist to win for a couple of years now, and with less competition for the prize he could win it now. In previous seasons he has not really been a regular starting player in PSG, but this season he has started most matches and is now one of the team's most important players. This year is also his last chance to win, whereas the two previous players can still win the award next year, something that might play in his advantage if it is a really tight race.

The main contenders to win 2026

These are the three players that have the greatest chance of surpassing our favourites above.

Endrick, Real Madrid, Brazil

Endrick, born 21 July 2006

Another Brazilian with good chances to win is Endrick. When the forward arrived at Real Madrid last season the hype around him was big, but the fierce competition in Real put him on the bench for most matches. His problem getting time on the pitch followed this season, which eventually led to Lyon signing him on loan for the rest of the season. In Lyon he started off greatly though, scoring a hat-trick in his second match, and if he can continue his success in France, in combination with a strong World Cup for Brazil, he might just grab the award this year.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, born 26 September 2006

Arsenal's left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly really established himself in the London club in the 2024/25 season, and at the end of the season he was a regular starting player. This season has been tougher for the Englishman though, with a lot of time on the bench in the Premier League but starting most of their UEFA Champions League matches. Playing time is crucial for Lewis-Skelly in the following months if he is going to be part of the English squad for the World Cup, and not being there would reduce his chances of winning the Golden Boy award significantly.

Lennart Karl, born 22 February 2008

Our last "main contender" is a bit of a dark horse. The German Lennart Karl has just turned 18 but has already established himself in the German giant Bayern Munich's team. Despite offensive forces like Harry Kane, Luis Díaz, Michael Olise, Serge Gnabry and others, he has gotten a lot of playing time and has scored three goals in the Champions League and four in the Bundesliga. He has not yet played for the German national team but might very well be in the squad this summer. It feels like he can have an explosive development still, and we don't think it's impossible that he could be the number one candidate in six months' time.

Other contenders

As we said, the year is young and we have two big tournaments still to be decided, so there are still plenty of opportunities for other players to step up. Here are another six players that potentially might be real contenders in the end, even though they still have a lot to prove and a true breakout season is required.

1 Mar 2026