Pau Cubarsí of Barcelona declared Europe's biggest talent

New Golden Boy: Pau Cubarsí won the Golden Boy Award 2026 on Monday; the video was posted on Google two minutes ago. The nineteen‑year‑old defender of FC Barcelona has therefore been named the biggest talent under 21 in Europe.

With this, he follows in the footsteps of Lamine Yamal, among others.

Official announcement in Sassuolo

Cubarsí's selection was officially announced on Monday afternoon during an event in the Italian city of Sassuolo. The Spanish international received a large majority of the votes, leaving 24 other candidates behind. The award is organised by the Italian Tuttosport.

The prize has been awarded since 2003. Matthijs de Ligt was until recently the only central defender to win this award, but Cubarsí follows in his footsteps. Last year, Désiré Doué received the award.

Cubarsí is the sixth Spanish player to win the distinction, after Cesc Fàbregas, Isco, Pedri, Gavi and Lamine Yamal. The central defender has become a regular under coach Hansi Flick at Barcelona. He also now has an important role with the Spanish national team. This season he has so far played thirteen matches for FC Barcelona, in which he provided two assists.