Eight players currently representing Premier League teams have been named finalists for the 2026 “Golden Boy” award, which honors the best under-21 player in European football. The list was released by the Italian outlet Tuttosport, which has been granting this award since 2003.
The Premier League players include Jorell Hato and Estevao Willian from Chelsea, Luka Vuskovic and Charalampos Kostoulas from Brighton & Hove Albion, and Rayan and Eli Junior Kroupi from Bournemouth. Arsenal’s Myles Lewis Skelly and Manchester City’s Ayyoub Bouaddi round out the Premier League contingent.
This year’s shortlist features 25 nominees in total, but no North American players are included, marking a shift from previous years when Giovanni Reyna and Christian Pulisic were among the contenders.
The last player to win the Golden Boy award while playing in the Premier League was Anthony Martial in 2015, who received the accolade while playing for Manchester United, despite having spent part of that season with AS Monaco in Ligue 1. PSG’s Désiré Doué claimed the 2025 award, following other previous winners such as Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, and Erling Haaland, all of whom have made notable contributions to European football.
2026 Golden Boy Award Shortlist
Premier League players in bold
- Kerim Alajbegovic (Juventus)
- Marc Bernal (Barcelona)
- Ayyoub Bouaddi (Manchester City)
- Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona)
- Yan Diomande (Real Madrid)
- Said El Mala (Koln)
- Endrick (Real Madrid)
- Xavi Espart (Barcelona)
- Victor Froholdt (Porto)
- Joane Gadoi (Borussia Dortmund)
- Jorell Hato (Chelsea)
- Finn Jeltsch (Stuttgart)
- Konstantinos Karetsas (Borussia Dortmund)
- Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich)
- Charalampos Kostoulas (Brighton and Hove Albion)
- Eli Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth)
- Myles Lewis Skelly (Arsenal)
- Jon Martin (Real Sociedad)
- Franco Mastantuono (Fiorentina / Real Madrid)
- Rodrigo Mora (AS Roma)
- Rayan (Bournemouth)
- Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica)
- Luka Vuskovic (Brighton and Hove Albion)
- Estevao Willian (Chelsea)
