sports

Cubarsí Leads 2026 Golden Boy Race Ahead of Yamal

Published

1 month ago

August 18, 2026

Pau Cubarsí tops the current Golden Boy Award 2026 standings ahead of teammate Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid’s Yan Diomande

Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí is currently leading the 2026 Golden Boy Award race, according to the latest standings released by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport, with teammate Lamine Yamal in second and Yan Diomande third.

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Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported on Tuesday that Cubarsí is currently ahead of the field as the voting process continues, with the final vote still expected later this year.

Yamal’s second-place position comes with an important caveat. The Barcelona forward cannot win the award again this year because he previously claimed the Golden Boy prize in 2024.

The 2026 race is still open, with Tuttosport continuing to update its rankings before the final voting stage.

The award is presented to the outstanding young player in European top-flight football and is decided by an international jury of sports journalists.

Cubarsí’s position reflects his growing reputation at Barcelona. The defender has become an increasingly important figure for the Spanish club and has already collected major honours during his young career.

Diomande’s presence in third also underlines the strength of this year’s field.

The Real Madrid youngster is among the 100 players initially shortlisted for the 2026 award, with the list due to be reduced to 20 finalists before the winner is selected.

The Golden Boy has a distinguished history, with previous winners including Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Yamal.

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For Cubarsí, however, the immediate task is to maintain his advantage. With the decisive voting still to come, the Barcelona defender has emerged as the early favourite, but the final outcome remains open.

Opinion

Why Are Football Fans Expecting Trophy Haul from Man City’s 114 Breaches?

Published

5 hours ago

September 30, 2026

Mariam Balogun

By Tai Emeka Obasi,

It is exceedingly terrible for clubs operating in a league as supremely elite as the English Premier League, EPL, to fraudulently cheat themselves to massive success.

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Rules are rules, and supposedly responsible club managements should comply with them in administering a game termed the beautiful game.

Manchester City is currently in the eye of the storm for all the wrong reasons.

A whopping 115 breaches were brought against the club, with reports now indicating that an independent commission found City guilty of 114 of them.

The club, however, maintains that the Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements still to be completed and subject to strict confidentiality.

Manchester City chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, has appealed to the fans to remain calm and faithful, insisting that the club will continue to defend its position and pursue the available legal process.

According to reports, Manchester City is expected to appeal the verdict. The sanctions have not yet been announced, and the possible consequences could include a heavy fine, points deduction, stripping of titles or even relegation.

From the available reporting, however, there is no basis for football fans to start celebrating the prospect of receiving Manchester City’s trophies.

Even if titles were eventually stripped, the relevant period under investigation is 2009 to 2018.

During that period, Manchester City won three Premier League titles, in 2011/12, 2013/14 and 2017/18, as well as three League Cups, in 2013/14, 2015/16 and 2017/18.

That immediately puts a different complexion on the matter.

For instance, Manchester United finished runners-up to City in the 2011/12 and 2017/18 Premier League seasons, while Liverpool finished second in 2013/14.

But whether those titles would actually be reassigned to the runners-up is another matter entirely.

There is no automatic rule that says a stripped title simply moves to the team that finished second. Any such outcome would depend on the eventual sanction imposed by the relevant authorities.

The same applies to Arsenal and the League Cup. Arsenal were beaten by City in the 2018 final, but that does not mean Arsenal would automatically inherit the trophy if City were sanctioned.

Expert opinion has suggested that the eventual punishment could include a substantial financial penalty and a huge points deduction, potentially severe enough to threaten City with relegation.

But until the sanction is formally determined, nobody can say with certainty what punishment Manchester City will receive.

For Gunners fans, therefore, we should lower our expectations from City’s debacle. Even if Manchester City are eventually found guilty after the appeal process and even if they are relegated, Arsenal will not stroll to this season’s title.

Our last match against Brighton and Hove Albion is a huge warning that our squad is not as complete as it is generally acclaimed to be.