Sam TigheCloseSam TigheESPNSam is a writer, broadcaster and podcaster for ESPN. He will write on the Premier League, scouting and transfers.Follow on XEmily KeoghCloseEmily KeoghCorrespondentBased in London, Emily Keogh is ESPN’s women’s soccer correspondent, specializing in the WSL and UWCLFollow on XDec 17, 2025, 03:48 AM ET
play0:51Klinsmann calls Bayern goalscorer Karl a ‘super special talent’Jurgen Klinsmann shares how impressed he’s been with young Bayern star Lennart Karl, after the 17-year-old scored in their win over Sporting.
play2:23Can Brighton and England cope without Michelle Agyemang?Gabriele Marcotti and Don Hutchison react to Michelle Agyemang suffering a serious ACL injury in the Lionesses’ 3-0 victory over Australia
play1:48Why the ‘sky is the limit’ for USWNT’s Lily YohannesLianne Sanderson speaks after Lily Yohannes’ performance for OL Lyonnes vs. St. Pölten in the Women’s Champions League.
What makes Estêvão a special player for Chelsea? (1:38)Stewart Robson and Craig Burley discuss Estêvão’s performance vs. Barcelona and his contribution in Chelsea’s attack. (1:38)
Klinsmann calls Bayern goalscorer Karl a ‘super special talent’Jurgen Klinsmann shares how impressed he’s been with young Bayern star Lennart Karl, after the 17-year-old scored in their win over Sporting.
Jurgen Klinsmann shares how impressed he’s been with young Bayern star Lennart Karl, after the 17-year-old scored in their win over Sporting.
Can Brighton and England cope without Michelle Agyemang?Gabriele Marcotti and Don Hutchison react to Michelle Agyemang suffering a serious ACL injury in the Lionesses’ 3-0 victory over Australia
Gabriele Marcotti and Don Hutchison react to Michelle Agyemang suffering a serious ACL injury in the Lionesses’ 3-0 victory over Australia
Why the ‘sky is the limit’ for USWNT’s Lily YohannesLianne Sanderson speaks after Lily Yohannes’ performance for OL Lyonnes vs. St. Pölten in the Women’s Champions League.
Lianne Sanderson speaks after Lily Yohannes’ performance for OL Lyonnes vs. St. Pölten in the Women’s Champions League.
This year, Paris Saint-Germain and UEFA Champions League-winning star Désiré Doué was crowned Europe’s Golden Boy award, while Arsenal and England striker Michelle Agyemang picked up the Golden Girl (presented by Italian sports outlet Tuttosport on Dec. 1).
It puts an exclamation point on a wonderful 2024-25 for both players. Doué displaced Bradley Barcola for a starting spot in PSG’s starting XI, as they won the French title, and then produced a sensational display against Inter Milan in the Champions League final, scoring twice and assisting once in a 5-1 victory. While Agyemang starred for England in their successful Euro 2025 campaign and impressed on loan at Brighton before she suffered a season-ending ACL injury in October.
Now, our attention turns to who might win the 2026 edition. We’ve gazed into the crystal ball and compiled a list of the most likely candidates, projecting based on potential performance and prominence.
Only players under the age of 21 are eligible to win the award, so anyone who turns 21 in 2026 is ruled out — that’s why you can’t see Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid), Kenan Yildiz (Juventus), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City) and a host of other young stars here. You also have to be playing in a top European league, and you can’t win it twice (so no Doué, Agyemang, and no Lamine Yamal or Vicky Lopez from 2024).
Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus and Manchester United have all been linked to him, and he appears tipped to become the next great defensive midfielder. It’s easy to see why.
He’s 6-foot-1 with a lean build, but strides forward with power and has a remarkable ability to quicken his step just enough to nip in and intercept a pass. He ranks in the 85th percentile in Ligue 1 for dribblers tackled, plus the 78th and 92nd percentiles for progressive passes and successful take-ons, respectively. This is a player who can halt opponents’ attacks, then start his own in seconds.
Earlier this month, Bouaddi signed a new deal with Lille until 2029, but that will do little to stop a big transfer next summer if he carries on as he is.
This time last year, the 2025 Golden Boy award looked like it was Cubarsí’s to lose. At 17, he was commanding a starting place at center back in a Barcelona team fancied to win the Champions League — they weren’t far off doing so, either, losing the semifinal in extra time — and he surely would have beaten Doué to the prize had Barça lifted the trophy.
Unfortunately, his route to challenging for it in 2026 looks much tougher. Barcelona do not look as strong, and a big part of that is due to their defense caving in: nine teams have conceded fewer goals than their 20 in LaLiga so far, and they’ve let 11 in from just six Champions League games.
To put all of that blame on Cubarsí would be ridiculous, but the sad reality for defenders when it comes to winning individual awards is that they require team success to prop them up. So for the 18-year-old to really stand a chance of winning the Golden Boy, his teammates need to step things up.
It takes a special player to move from South America to Europe aged 18, sign for Real Madrid, and immediately win a consistent role in the first team amid elite competition for places. So it’s a huge shame that Mastantuono has been knocked off course by injury, having already exceeded 500 LaLiga minutes and played three times in the Champions League by the start of November.
The Argentina international is a free spirit and a fine creator; he is often fielded on the wing for Madrid (and was previously for River Plate), but still exhibits the traits of a classic No. 10 playmaker. He underpins that with a relentless workrate, which is why manager Xabi Alonso took to him immediately.
When he returns from injury, the teenager will need to up his goal contributions (he’s scored just once) in order to maintain a grip on a place in the XI and stake his claim for the award — especially now star midfielder Jude Bellingham has returned from injury.
Klinsmann calls Bayern goalscorer Karl a ‘super special talent’
Bayern hearts were broken at the FIFA Club World Cup last summer when star playmaker Jamal Musiala fractured his leg and was ruled out for the rest of 2025. But when one door closes, another opens, and Musiala’s absence provided a pathway for 17-year-old Karl to make his mark.
Last week, Karl became the youngest-ever player to score in three consecutive Champions League games. The second goal in that streak came at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal, garnishing an excellent individual performance that showed remarkable maturity for one so young.
A diminutive presence at only 5-foot-6, he can ghost past opponents into little pockets of space, then lift his head to shoot or pick a pass. In fact, he has a particular penchant for a long-range effort and already boasts a fine catalogue of goals.
Karl is the true breakout star of the 2025-26 campaign so far, emerging from nowhere to play a sizable role at an elite European club. Musiala’s impending return to fitness is expected to eat into his playing time, but the 17-year-old should has shown what he can do and will surely play a large role next year too.
Estêvão’s immediate impact at Chelsea has been startling. Last summer, he arrived at Stamford Bridge from Palmeiras for a fee that could reach €67 million amid the sort of fanfare and hype that could crush a young player. Instead, he’s taken everything in his stride. Enzo Maresca has had to force himself to measure the Brazilian’s playing time, admitting: “It’s too easy to put him on the pitch and let him play, play, play. In some moments, we have to manage him a little bit.”
But with every highlight reel moment Estêvão provides — be it a 95th-minute winner against Liverpool, or a spectacular goal against Barcelona — that task becomes more difficult. He has already clocked 852 minutes in all competitions for the Blues and will only feature more often from here. The fans demand it; they’ve fallen for him head over heels already.
The way he’s turning heads right now, he’s a natural pick for the Golden Boy favorite. He may not even need Chelsea to win a trophy to cement his claim, as he’ll go to the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Brazil and surely star — he already has five goals in 11 appearances for the Seleçao. — Tighe
Can Brighton and England cope without Michelle Agyemang?
However, Barcelona have restricted her minutes. She’s made just eight starts in Spain’s Liga F and has yet to appear in the Champions League. Her development is dependent on gaining more consistent minutes and a lack thereof might hold her back from lifting the Golden Girl title next year.
No injury ever comes at a good time, but Reid’s ACL issue arrived at arguably the worst possible moment. The defender, then 18, had just broken into Arsenal’s first team, displacing a WSL and a World Cup winner (Laia Codina) in the process. A run of commanding performances earned her a string of starts and, soon after, a maiden senior international call-up for England.
But a minor setback struck before Reid could report to camp and, several weeks later, disaster followed in training when she suffered an ACL injury that is expected to rule her out for much, if not all, of the 2025-26 season.
The injury has done little to diminish the regard in which she is held at both club and international level, though. Comfortable at both right back and center back, Reid is tall, composed and a significant threat at set pieces. Calm in possession and authoritative in her defending, she possesses all the attributes of a future world-class defender, and a potential club captain.
Despite a limited sample of senior minutes, she still ranked highly for duels contested and fouls won, underlining why she remains one of the most exciting defensive prospects in the game.
Rather than rushing to make the step up following an ACL injury in 2023, Beney chose to remain at a smaller club and focus on rediscovering her best form. That patience has paid off handsomely and now fully fit, she has emerged as a vital cog in a City side pushing for what would be their first WSL title since 2016.
