Pau Cubarsi, the Barcelona star, has become the strong favourite to win the 2026 Golden Boy award.
Cubarsi has turned heads with his form for Barcelona and Spain. The 19-year-old sits among the top 10 in the Ballon d'Or standings, and he now leads the race for the 2026 Golden Boy award.
Sport newspaper reported: "In the latest update of the standings for the best young player in the world award, published today, Thursday, Cubarsi took the lead with a gap of 700 points over his team-mate Lamine Yamal, who was crowned with it in 2024."
Completing the podium is one of Real Madrid's latest summer signings, Yan Diomande, who joined the Spanish capital for a fixed fee of 125 million euros, plus a further 15 million euros in variables.
Paris Saint-Germain star Warren Zaire-Emery comes in third, trailing the Barcelona defender by 6000 points.
Morocco's Ayoub Bouaddi, tipped as a possible replacement for Rodri at Manchester City, occupies fifth place.
Marc Bernal competes with Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal
Barcelona boast a third name among the top 100 alongside Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal. Marc Bernal comes in at 20th in the ranking.
Real Madrid also land three players on the list. Endrick sits eighth alongside Diomande, with Thiago Pitarch down in 40th.
Porto lead the way for individual clubs, placing five players among the nominees.
The Premier League dominates by nation, supplying 26 names to the top 100.
La Liga sit fifth with eight players. That leaves them trailing the Bundesliga on 18, Ligue 1 on 14 and Serie A on nine.
Date of the 2026 Golden Boy award ceremony
The 2026 Golden Boy award is for players born from 2006 onwards, who compete in the top 25 European leagues.
London hosts the ceremony on 26 October. Pau Cubarsí leads the pack of favourites for a prize Barcelona have owned over the past five years.
Pedri claimed it in 2021, Gavi followed in 2022, and Lamine Yamal took the honour in 2024.