Golden Boy 2026 Shortlist: 8 Premier League Stars Nominated

Eight Premier League players named on Golden Boy 2026 shortlist

Eight Premier League players have made the 25-man shortlist for the 2026 Golden Boy award, presented by Tuttosport to Europe's best under-21 men's player. Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly, Chelsea pair Estêvão and Jorrel Hato, and Manchester City's Ayyoub Bouaddi are joined by Bournemouth and Brighton, who each have two nominees.

Award: Golden Boy 2026, presented by Tuttosport, for the best U21 men's player in Europe.
Premier League interest: Eight of the 25 finalists play in England's top flight.
Most represented club: Barcelona with three players — Pau Cubarsí, Marc Bernal and Xavi Espart.
Defending champion: Lamine Yamal won in 2024 but is ruled out this year because he has already won the award.
Clubs with two nominees: Bournemouth, Brighton, Chelsea and Real Madrid.

The numbers

25 finalists in contention for the 2026 award.
8 Premier League players on the shortlist.
3 Barcelona players nominated — more than any other club.
2 players each from Bournemouth, Brighton, Chelsea and Real Madrid.
1 Arsenal player, one Manchester City player.

Premier League contenders

Arsenal and England midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly, 20, is the sole Gunners representative. The 20-year-old is one of eight Premier League players in contention for the prize, which is awarded annually by Italian publication Tuttosport.

Bournemouth and Brighton both have two players among the finalists, making up half of the Premier League contingent. Bournemouth's nominees are Eli Junior Kroupi and Rayan, while Brighton are represented by Luka Vuskovic and Charalampos Kostoulas.

Chelsea also have two shortlisted players in Estêvão and Jorrel Hato. Manchester City's summer signing Ayyoub Bouaddi is the other Premier League star on the list.

Barcelona lead the way

Barcelona have three players shortlisted, more than any other club. Pau Cubarsí, named best young player at the summer's World Cup, is among the strongest contenders alongside Marc Bernal and Xavi Espart.

Real Madrid have two players in the mix with Yan Diomande and Endrick, while Paris Saint-Germain's Warren Zaire-Emery and Bayern Munich's Lennart Karl also make the cut.

Golden Boy 2026: the 25 finalists

Kerim Alajbegović (Juventus)
Marc Bernal (Barcelona)
Ayyoub Bouaddi (Manchester City)
Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona)
Yan Diomande (Real Madrid)
Endrick (Real Madrid)
Xavi Espart (Barcelona)
Estêvão (Chelsea)
Victor Froholdt (Porto)
Joane Gadou (Borussia Dortmund)
Jorrel Hato (Chelsea)
Finn Jeltsch (Stuttgart)
Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich)
Konstantinos Karetsas (Borussia Dortmund)
Charalampos Kostoulas (Brighton)
Eli Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth)
Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal)
Saïd El Mala (Köln)
Jon Martin (Real Sociedad)
Franco Mastantuono (Fiorentina, on loan from Real Madrid)
Rodrigo Mora (Roma)
Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica)
Rayan (Bournemouth)
Luka Vuskovic (Brighton)

Why Barcelona's trio matters more than the Premier League's eight

On raw numbers, England's top flight dominates the 2026 shortlist with eight of the 25 names. But the strength of Barcelona's academy production is the story here. Pau Cubarsí, fresh from being named best young player at the summer World Cup, arrives as one of the strongest contenders alongside Marc Bernal and Xavi Espart. That is three players from a single club, more than any other side can claim.

For the Premier League contingent, the value lies in what the nominations say about recruitment. Bournemouth and Brighton, two of the division's smaller clubs, have as many nominees as Chelsea. The Cherries' Eli Junior Kroupi and Rayan sit alongside the Seagulls' Luka Vuskovic and Charalampos Kostoulas — evidence that both clubs' talent-spotting models are producing elite young players.

Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly, still only 20, is the lone Gunners representative and carries the flag for a side that has invested heavily in academy pathways. Manchester City's Ayyoub Bouaddi, a summer signing, offers a reminder that City are still prepared to buy youth and blood it at the top level.

Talking points

Eight Premier League nominees is a strong headline, but Barcelona's three-man shortlist suggests La Masia still sets the benchmark for elite youth development.
Bournemouth and Brighton matching Chelsea's two nominees each is a quiet triumph for the south-coast clubs' recruitment models — and a warning to bigger spenders.
Lamine Yamal's ineligibility after winning in 2024 removes the obvious favourite, leaving a genuinely open field led by players like Cubarsí.
Myles Lewis-Skelly is Arsenal's only representative at 20 years old; that isolation says something about the current gap between Arsenal's first-team pathway and its academy output.

What happens next

The 25 finalists will be whittled down by Tuttosport's voting panel, with the winner announced later in the season. The award has historically launched careers — Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham are among past recipients — so the Premier League's eight nominees have a clear incentive to finish the campaign strongly.

Frequently asked questions

How many Premier League players are on the Golden Boy 2026 shortlist?

Eight Premier League players are among the 25 finalists: Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Estêvão and Jorrel Hato (Chelsea), Ayyoub Bouaddi (Manchester City), Eli Junior Kroupi and Rayan (Bournemouth), and Luka Vuskovic and Charalampos Kostoulas (Brighton).

Who is the favourite to win the Golden Boy 2026 award?

Pau Cubarsí, the Barcelona defender named best young player at the summer World Cup, is among the strongest contenders. Paris Saint-Germain's Warren Zaire-Emery and Bayern Munich's Lennart Karl also feature, while Lamine Yamal is ruled out because he has already won the award.

Which club has the most players on the Golden Boy 2026 shortlist?

Barcelona have three players shortlisted — Marc Bernal, Pau Cubarsí and Xavi Espart — more than any other club. Bournemouth, Brighton, Chelsea and Real Madrid each have two nominees.