THE PREMIER LEAGUE dominated the list of the 25 finalists for the 2026 Golden Boy Award with EIGHT stars vying for the honour.
is handed out to the most impressive football star of the year under the age of 21.
In this case it means only players born after 2006 are eligible for the honour, while former winners who meet the age criteria, such as , are not eligible to win again.
The Prem had eight representatives make it into the final list of hopefuls for the award, which will now be voted on by a panel of top European journalists.
Myles-ewis -Skelly made it to the shortlist for the second year in a row, but there was no room for Gunners starlet .
have two stars carrying their flag in the competition, with and Estevao both in the running ahead of the ceremony later this year.
South-oast clubs proved to be the surprise winners of the event, held in Venice on Monday, with both Brighton and Bournemouth bagging themselves two representatives each.
Greek prospect got in as a wildcard entry, as part of an emerging golden generation for his country that also included fellow finalist Konstantinos Karetsas.
Former Spurs man Luka Vuskovic will at least have something to drown out the memories of his 7-0 thrashing at the hands of on Saturday, as he was included among the award’s top prospects.
star was recognised for his work for club and country, including at the World Cup earlier this year where he made four appearances at just 20 years old.
And despite being sidelined for the start of the Premier League season, Eli Junior Kroupi’s 13-goal return from last season was enough to earn him a spot in the final 25 as well.
But it is new arrival Ayyoub Bouaddi who the bookies reckon has the best hope of bringing home the Golden Boy silverware.
The former Lille man on the back of a breakout tournament for at the World Cup.
Even he will be facing an uphill battle to dislodge the favourite for the award, however.
All 25 Golden Boy finalists
Charalampos Kostoulas (Brighton, Greece)
Joane Gadou (Borussia Dortmund, France)
Javi Espart (Barcelona, Spain),
Franco Mastantuono (Fiorentina, Argentina),
Rodrigo Mora (Roma, Portugal)
Finn Jeltsch (Stuttgart, Germany)
Kerim Alajbegovic (Juventus, Bosnia & Herzegovina)
Marc Bernal (Barcelona, Spain),
Jon Martin (Real Sociedad, Spain)
Said el Mala (Koln, Germany)
Konstantinos Karetsas (Borussia Dortmund, Greece)
Endrick (Real Madrid, Brazil)
Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica, Argentina)
Estevao (Chelsea, Brazil)
Eli Junior Kroupi (Bournemouth, France)
Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich, Germany)
Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal, England)
Jorrel Hato (Chelsea, Netherlands)
Victor Froholdt (Porto, Denmark)
Rayan, (Bournemouth, Brazil)
Luka Vuskovic (Brighton, Croatia)
Ayyoub Bouaddi (Man City, Morocco)
Yan Diomande (Real Madrid, Ivory Coast)
Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona, Spain)
Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
Pau Cubarsi is the clear frontrunner for his World Cup heroics, keeping a clean sheet through extra-time in the final against Argentina, while also winning LaLiga with in domestic competition.
Warren Zaire-Emery is believed to be hot on his heels thanks to his part in ‘s back-to-back wins.
The shortlist was decided through an index created by football data giants Transfermarkt, which takes in their assigned transfer value, performance data and league difficulty to assign the world’s top young stars with a ranking.
But the names will now be turned over to football experts to decide who will take this year’s award.
Other previous winners include and , but it was Paris Saint-Germain star Desire Doue who took the glory in a glitzy ceremony last December.
Yamal would surely be among the favourites if not for the provision banning him from winning the award again.
But there were plenty of other LaLiga stars to represent their clubs on the list, with six stars from Barcelona, and Real Sociedad making the cut.
