Photo by [email protected] - Depositphotos - Pau Cubarsi

Barcelona and Spain centre-back Pau Cubarsi has been named the winner of the prestigious 2026 Golden Boy award, presented annually by Italian newspaper Tuttosport to the best footballer in Europe aged under 21.

The 19-year-old Spaniard topped the voting ahead of Warren Zaire-Emery, the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, as well as French talents Elie Junior Kroupi of Bournemouth and Kouakou Gadu of Borussia Dortmund.

Cubarsi joins an illustrious list of Barcelona players to have won the award, following in the footsteps of Lionel Messi, Pedri, Gavi and Lamine Yamal. Under the current rules, players cannot win the trophy more than once. As a result, 2024 winner Yamal was ineligible this time despite still meeting the age requirement.

Cubarsi's triumph caps an outstanding 2026 for the young defender. At just 19, he has established himself as a key figure for both Barcelona and the Spain national team, with whom he won the World Cup title.

The official award ceremony will take place on 14 December at a gala event in Turin.