Barcelona teenager Pau Cubarsi has been awarded for his incredible year with Barcelona and Spain.
Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí has been named the winner of the 2026 Golden Boy award.
The 19-year-old centre-back claimed the accolade, which recognises Europe’s best young player, during a ceremony in Sassuolo, Italy, on Monday.
Cubarsi’s triumphant year
Cubarsí secured the prize ahead of Real Madrid forward Yan Diomande and Barcelona teammates Marc Bernal and Xavi Espart.
The individual honour caps off an extraordinary calendar year for the defender, who established himself as a cornerstone for both club and country.
He was instrumental in Barcelona securing a domestic double, winning the 2025/26 La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup. Cubarsí then carried the form onto the international stage, anchoring Spain’s defence as they won the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
⭐️ Pau Cubarsí, the latest European Golden Boy winner. 🇫🇷 Anthony Martial 2015 🇵🇹 Renato Sanches 2016 🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappé 2017 🇳🇱 Matthijs de Ligt 2018 🇵🇹 Joao Félix 2019 🇳🇴 Erling Haaland 2020 🇪🇸 Pedri 2021 🇪🇸 Gavi 2022 🏴 Jude Bellingham 2023 🇪🇸 Lamine Yamal 2024 🇫🇷 Désiré Doué 2025 🆕🇪🇸 Pau Cubarsi 2026
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 9, 2026
His standout performances during the summer tournament earned him the FIFA Young Player Award on July 19.
The Kopa Trophy snub
The Golden Boy announcement provides redemption for Cubarsí following a narrow defeat at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London on October 26.
He missed out on the Kopa Trophy by a minuscule margin of just two votes, finishing as the runner-up to Barcelona teammate Lamine Yamal.
Yamal, who became the first player to win the Kopa Trophy three consecutive times, used his acceptance speech to advocate for the defender. “I would have liked to see my teammate Cubarsí here because I think this prize should have been for him,” Yamal stated. “He deserved it.”
How Cubarsí won
Despite missing out on the London prize, Cubarsí has compiled an unprecedented statistical resume for a teenager.
He has already registered 141 first-team appearances for Barcelona and earned 23 senior international caps for Spain. By securing the Golden Boy, he joins Lionel Messi, Pedri, Gavi, and Yamal as La Masia graduates to claim the award while representing the Catalan club.
