Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi (19) has been crowned the Golden Boy for 2026, the award handed to the best young player in the world under the age of 21.
Created by Massimo Franchi, the award pays tribute to the brightest rising talents in football and has been presented since 2003 by Italian newspaper "Tuttosport", making it one of the leading benchmarks for judging young talent.
Only players under the age of 21 active in the European leagues are eligible.
The Spain international finished well clear of the other 24 candidates, drawn from the "Benchmark" list that tracks output according to levels and performances, plus five invitation cards held by the organising committee to add any talents who emerge at the last moment.
Thirty journalists from across Europe cast the final vote, and Cubarsi swept the lot.
Only a few weeks ago he fell short of the Kopa Trophy by just two points, that one going to Lamine Yamal for the third year running. This time the vote left no room for doubt that the World Cup-winning defender deserved the prize.
Gone, then, is the bitterness of leaving the Ballon d'Or ceremony empty-handed. Barcelona, meanwhile, confirm their grip on the award, with five La Masia graduates now on the roll of honour: Lionel Messi, Pedri, Gavi, Lamine Yamal and now Cubarsi.
Cesc Fabregas won it too, though as an Arsenal player.
Cubarsi becomes only the second defender in history to claim it, after the Netherlands' Matthijs de Ligt in 2018.
Every other winner has been a midfielder or forward, and the list reads like a who's who of the world game: Messi, Sergio Aguero, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Joao Felix and Erling Haaland. Cristiano Ronaldo never made the cut.
On the roll of winners, Cubarsi follows Frenchman Desire Doue, who took the 2025 edition, and Lamine Yamal, winner in 2024.
Six Spaniards feature among the 23 winners, with the award limited to one win per player, unlike the Kopa Trophy run by "France Football" magazine.
Fabregas was the first Spaniard to lift it, back in 2006 as an Arsenal player. Isco followed during his time at Malaga, then came Pedri, Gavi, Lamine Yamal and finally Cubarsi, underlining Spanish dominance of the prize.