Golden Boy: Pau Cubarsí favourite as Xavi Espart earns surprise wild card | OneFootball

According to AS, Pau Cubarsí is the strong favourite to lift Golden Boy in Turin in December, with founder Massimo Franchi putting it at 99.9%.

In Venice, Tuttosport unveiled the final shortlist of 25 for the award recognising the best under-21 at a European club.

World Cup-fuelled big-money arrivals Ayyoub Bouaddi of Manchester City and Real Madrid record signing Yan Diomande are seen among podium contenders. The 20 data-led picks featured three Spaniards and four from LaLiga, including Warren Zaïre-Emery and Endrick.

The wild cards provided the shock, with Xavi Espart selected despite missing Transfermarkt’s August list. Hansi Flick has compared the Barcelona youngster to Lahm. Franco Mastantuono, Charalampos Kostoulas, Rodrigo Mora and Joane Gadou completed the five.

At 19, Cubarsí has been pivotal for Barcelona and Spain, winning the World Cup and being named best young player. That success is seen as a compelling case to succeed Désiré Doué. He has said he is not especially media-facing but is adapting.

Transfermarkt, now a partner to the prize, even ranked him above Lamine Yamal in its latest update, although Yamal is ineligible after winning in 2024. The process blends metrics, which deliver the top 20, with five Tuttosport wild cards and an international jury.

Source: AS

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”