Cubarsí, Huijsen, Arda Güler and Mastantuono vie for Lamine Yamal's throne

Spanish football's love affair with the Golden Boy award, a recognition that since 2003 has honoured the best under-21 player in European football courtesy of the Italian sports daily 'Tuttosport', aims to remain unbroken for another year. Following the successive victories of Pedri in 2021, Gavi in 2022, Jude Bellingham in 2023, and Lamine Yamal in 2024, four distinguished representatives from La Liga appear in the list of 25 candidates unveiled this Tuesday in the Italian city of Genoa.

Barça's centre-back Pau Cubarsí, Real Madrid's defender Dean Huijsen, midfielder Arda Güler, one of the standout figures in the 'white house', and winger Franco Mastantuono, newly arrived in Chamartín, will compete for Lamine Yamal's throne. Yamal, who finished second this year in the Ballon d'Or race, cannot defend his Golden Boy crown as the prestigious award's rules prevent a repeat winner in consecutive editions.

It is clear that, without this rule, Lamine Yamal would triumph again as he did last year, when he garnered 488 out of 500 possible points from a jury composed of 50 sports journalists from across Europe after a campaign in which he was crowned champion of the Old Continent with the Spanish national team and was chosen as the best young player of a European Championship where he also finished as the top assistant.

With even more accolades on the table following a season in which he won the League, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup with Barça and became the first footballer to win the Kopa Trophy twice, awarded by 'France Football' to the best under-21 footballer in the world, the Mataró winger has no choice but to watch from afar as the distinguished representatives of the new wave of talent, destined to dominate the beautiful game in the coming years, vie for a prize that has previously rewarded stars of the calibre of Argentina's Leo Messi, Spain's Cesc Fàbregas and Isco Alarcón, France's Kylian Mbappé, and Norway's Erling Haaland.

Barça's hopes will rest this time on Pau Cubarsí, who already appeared among last year's 25 finalists and is once again among the candidates after establishing himself as one of the defensive stalwarts for both Hansi Flick's Barça and the resurgent Spanish national team led by Luis de la Fuente.

At 18, the Catalan centre-back will battle with, among others, three of the young talents attracting attention at Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid. One of them is Arda Güler, who also featured among the candidates in the last Golden Boy edition and now sees his chances increase as he has settled as a starter at Real Madrid and continues to dazzle with the Turkish national team. Another is Dean Huijsen, receiving his first nomination after becoming one of the sensations of the season's start with the Chamartín side, which he joined in the summer from Bournemouth. Indispensable for Xabi Alonso, the Málaga-born player has also solidified his place in the Spanish national team, with which he debuted last March in Rotterdam. The last is Franco Mastantuono, who at 18 has burst onto the scene with notable force in the line-ups of the Basque coach.

Possibly the greatest threat to the quartet of La Liga representatives is Frenchman Desiré Doué. European champion last May with PSG, a club he joined in the summer of 2024 from Rennes, he was named the best player of the last continental competition final after contributing with a brace and an assist to Luis Enrique's team's historic thrashing of Inter Milan at Munich's Allianz Arena and was also chosen as the best young player of the Club World Cup, two major credentials that could earn him the Golden Boy.

As for the Golden Girl award, established in 2018 to honour the best under-21 female footballer and won last year by Spain's Vicky López, the candidates are Michelle Agyemang (Brighton), Iman Beney (Manchester City), Giulia Galli (Roma), Eva Schatzer (Juventus), Signe Gaupset (Brann), Smilla Holmberg (Hammarby), Felicia Schröder (Hacken), Wieke Kaptein (Chelsea), Nina Matejic (Zenit St. Petersburg), and Lily Yohannes (Lyon).