Although they have a golden tradition in this regard, the emphasis on youth talent has increased further in the last few years at FC Barcelona. This emphasis is clearly visible from the Golden Boy award winners of the last several years, as 3 of the last 4 winners of this award have been Blaugrana players, including Pedri, Gavi, and Lamine Yamal.
This year, another player of the Catalan team is primed to win this award, i.e., the defender Pau Cubarsi, who appeared to be the second-best placed candidate in the list published by Tuttosport a few days ago, only behind Lamine Yamal, who cannot win this prize for the second time.
Pau Cubarsi identifies the favorite for the Golden Boy award
However, one recent event could end up costing the Spanish defender this award, as the Paris Saint-Germain forward, Désiré Doué, had a wonderful outing in the UEFA Champions League final, in which he scored a brace and provided one assist.
As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the Barcelona defender actually praised his rival for his performance in this game ahead of his Spanish national team’s match against France on Thursday, and was clear that the Frenchman deserves to win this prize more than himself:
“Take me out of the Golden Boy race — it’s not going to be me… Doué had a magnificent Champions League final, and I think either of us would deserve it based on the season.”
Relationship with Joan Garcia
BARCELONA, SPAIN - MAY 24: Joan Garcia of RCD Espanyol kisses his badge following the LaLiga match between RCD Espanyol de Barcelona and UD Las Palmas at RCDE Stadium on May 24, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain.
Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images
Cubarsi was also asked about Joan Garcia, the Espanyol goalkeeper who has been very closely linked with Barcelona recently, and responded that he does not know a lot about this operation:
“I don’t follow transfer news at all; we already have a very good squad, and if reinforcements come, great — and if I run into someone during pre-season, that’s fine too… I have a good relationship with Joan Garcia after the Olympics, although I haven’t spoken to him about this. If he comes, we’ll be happy… we already have very good goalkeepers.”
With the 2024-25 season, Pau Cuabrsi and Désiré Doué have had, it would be very exciting to see how the competition for the Golden Boy award pans out. For now, one can look forward to the UEFA Nations League clash between Spain and France to see which of these players comes out on top.