Interview with Fernando Urbano, a Portuguese journalist with A Bola and a member of the international jury for the European Golden Boy | by Massimo Franchi
1) The list of 100 nominees for the 2026 Golden Boy award has been announced: which players from your country (born on or after 1 January 2006) did you expect to see on the list, and why?
Rodrigo Mora (FC Porto): He possesses creativity that is well above average. He is a natural dribbler, thinks faster than others, and has a wild, instinctive side that is becoming increasingly rare in football. He also has an excellent eye for goal.
Geovany Quenda (Chelsea/Sporting): He is an aggressive winger who has developed strong defensive qualities. For his age, he demonstrates above-average game maturity. He is very strong in one-on-one situations and has a refined left foot.
José Neto (Benfica): He is one of the FIFA U-17 World Cup champions. He is a modern left-back with excellent attacking instincts and great strength in defensive duels.
2) Among your favorite players (depending, of course, on the outcomes of the European cup finals, the World Cup, and the first part of next season), is there anyone whom you believe deserves more than others to win or finish very high in the 24th edition of the award reserved for the best Under-21 player of the year?
Rodrigo Mora.
3) In your country, at the level of sporting institutions (for example, the Football Federation, youth and school football departments, professional and amateur leagues, the Olympic Committee, etc.), have there been investments in recent years to further improve grassroots football and attract more young people to the sport?
Yes, investment has been increasing in recent years.
4) And at club level? Has any professional or amateur club recently stood out for the development of its youth academy and the recruitment of future talents, perhaps through the construction of new sports facilities specifically for children or with notable initiatives aimed at encouraging parents to enroll their children in football?
SC Braga has stood out for its investment in youth development infrastructure, reaching the same level as Benfica, FC Porto, and Sporting CP.
5) Founded in 2003, the Golden Boy will celebrate its first “jubilee” next year (2027), marking a quarter-century of existence. In your opinion, can you assess this period, explaining how the award has evolved, its international impact in terms of media coverage, the appeal it holds for players, experts and professionals, and the interest it generates among fans and readers?
The award experienced a huge boom once individual honors such as the Ballon d’Or gained a level of prominence never before seen in football history. Thanks to the Ronaldo-Messi effect, football fans became increasingly attracted to individual stars and awards, whose media coverage at times surpassed interest in clubs themselves. For this reason, this culture of personality also extended to the Golden Boy, which became a natural extension of individual recognition. I also have no doubt that the fact that players can win the award only once has made it increasingly valued by both footballers and the wider public. Nowadays, people know that winning a Golden Boy brings a player one step closer to one day winning something even greater.
