Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi swept Golden Boy 2026 voting with 43 first-place votes

Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi swept Golden Boy 2026 voting with 43 first-place votes As was confirmed on Monday, Barcelona teenage defender Pau Cubarsi has won the prestigious Golden Boy award for the year 2026. Following his exceptional achievements with the Blaugrana during last season as well as his performances with Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 19-year-old La Masia graduate was bestowed with the Golden Boy prize, given to the best young footballer in Europe. Cubarsi dominates Golden Boy voting Now, a report from SPORT has shed light on the extent of Cubarsi’s domination in the Golden Boy votes. The Barcelona defender collected a whopping 475 points out of a possible 500 to finish comfortably ahead of his closest challenger, Yan Diomande of Real Madrid. Of the 50 journalists who took part in the voting process, 43 placed the Barcelona defender at the top of their ballot. The 2026 Golden Boy award winner. (Photo by Diego Souto/Getty Images) Those first-place selections accounted for 430 points, representing 86% of the maximum points available from first-place votes. Five other voters ranked Cubarsi second, earning him another 35 points. The remaining two placed him third, contributing five points apiece. Crucially, he featured in the top three on every single ballot, highlighting the successful year he has had. Diomande, who joined Real Madrid during the summer transfer window finished second, almost 250 points behind Cubarsi, while PSG midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery took third place. A dominant victory for Cubarsi. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images) Only the second centre-back to win it The victory also places Cubarsi in a select group of defenders to have won the Golden Boy. He is only the second centre-back to receive the award, following Matthijs de Ligt, who claimed it in 2018 after breaking through at AFC Ajax. The 19-year-old defender also becomes the latest Spanish player to join the list of winners, alongside Cesc Fabregas, Isco, Pedri, Gavi and Lamine Yamal. The award has therefore continued a remarkable run of recognition for young Spanish talent, with Cubarsi adding another name from Barcelona’s academy to that history. The youngster, who was also named the Best Young Player of the Tournament at the World Cup, will collect the award in a ceremony on 14 December to be held in Turin.