Golden Boy finalists unveiled with Barcelona star leading the race

Italian sports publication Tuttosport has revealed the final 25-man shortlist for the prestigious Golden Boy award, presented annually to the best European-based footballer under the age of 21. The winner will be crowned at an official ceremony in Turin this December, with the Premier League and Barcelona heavily represented among the contenders.

Early reports suggest Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí is the runaway favourite to lift the trophy. Award founder Massimo Franchi stated that the Spanish World Cup winner's triumph is "99.9% guaranteed."

A panel of 50 sports journalists across Europe will decide the winner. Paris Saint-Germain's Désiré Doué claimed the honour last season.

Among the front-runners are Manchester City midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi and Real Madrid's record signing Yan Diomande. The 20-man selection determined by Transfermarkt's performance index is completed by Warren Zaïre-Emery (PSG), Victor Froholdt (Porto), Rayan (Bournemouth), Endrick (Real Madrid), Jorrel Hato (Chelsea), Estêvão (Chelsea), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Luka Vušković (Brighton), Jon Martín (Real Sociedad), Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth), Said El Mala (Köln), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica), Konstantinos Karetsas (Borussia Dortmund), Kerim Alajbegović (Juventus), Finn Jeltsch (Stuttgart), and Marc Bernal (Barcelona).

The biggest surprise arrived courtesy of Tuttosport's five 'wildcard' selections, which saw Barcelona prospect Xavi Espart make the cut. The youngster, whom head coach Hansi Flick has likened to Philipp Lahm, enjoyed a meteoric rise after not even featuring on the longlists at the end of the summer. The remaining four wildcard entries went to Franco Mastantuono (Real Madrid, on loan at Fiorentina), Charalampos Kostoulas (Brighton), Rodrigo Mora (Roma), and Joane Gadou (Borussia Dortmund).

At just 19 years of age, Cubarsí has become an indispensable figure for both Barcelona and the Spanish national team. After being crowned a world champion and picking up the tournament's Best Young Player award thanks to his remarkable maturity, he is now on the brink of succeeding Désiré Doué on an honours board featuring the game's biggest icons. "I may not be the loudest figure in the spotlight, but I'm settling into that rhythm now," the defender remarked.

According to Transfermarkt's monthly ratings, the centre-back even outranked teammate Lamine Yamal, who won the award in 2024 and is ineligible to win it a second time under competition rules.

How are the finalists selected?
The Transfermarkt index weighs individual performance, match difficulty, and achievements on the international stage and with club sides. The top 20 players qualify automatically, with Tuttosport's editors adding five wildcard invitations. The eventual winner is decided by combining this statistical data with the votes of the international journalists' jury.