Lewis-Skelly and Estêvão Headline a Premier League-Heavy Golden Boy 2026 Shortlist

Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly and Chelsea's Estêvão have been confirmed among the finalists for the 2026 Golden Boy award, the prize handed annually by the Italian newspaper Tuttosport to the best under-21 player in Europe.

Lewis-Skelly, who has impressed in both a left-back and defensive-midfield role for Arsenal, could become only the fourth British winner of the award if voting newspapers — including The Times — back him when results are confirmed in November.

Strong Chelsea and Brighton representation

Estêvão is on the shortlist alongside Chelsea teammate Jorrel Hato, and a win would make him only the third Brazilian to claim the award and the first since Alexandre Pato in 2009. Brighton also have two representatives in Luka Vušković, formerly of Tottenham, and Charalampos Kostoulas.

• Current holder: Paris Saint-Germain's Désiré Doué
• Past winners include: Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, Cesc Fàbregas, Kylian Mbappé
• Other Premier League-linked names on the list: Ayyoub Bouaddi, Eli Junior Kroupi, Rayan
• Results confirmed: November 2026

A list dominated by Spain's giants

Barcelona and Real Madrid between them supply six of the finalists, underlining their continued dominance of Europe's most closely watched academies. Even so, the scale of Premier League representation this year — spread across four different clubs — reflects how much English football's recruitment of elite young talent has intensified in recent seasons.