by Massimo Franchi

Last year’s winner was Greece’s Mouzakitis, following previous triumphs by Yildiz and Bellingham. Voting is now open on tuttosport.com to select the best young talent playing for a European club

 

Voting has officially opened for the 2026 Golden Boy Web Fans Award, the accolade that, since 2018, has formed part of the European Golden Boy awards and is presented to the most popular Under-21 player at a European club, as chosen by football fans from around the world.

Over the years, the award has grown into a truly global fan recognition, attracting as many as 2.2 million votes in a single edition. The quest to set a new record begins today on tuttosport.com, where supporters can vote for one of the 100 nominees shortlisted for this year’s award.

Christos Mouzakitis, the Olympiacos midfielder who won the 2025 edition, has the chance to defend his title. However, he faces stiff competition from several stars still chasing FIFA World Cup glory, including Lamine Yamal, winner of the Golden Boy Absolute Best award two years ago but still seeking his first Web Fans Award, as well as France’s Warren Zaïre-Emery and Spain’s Pau Cubarsí. Fans should also keep an eye on a number of less internationally renowned prospects who have already become genuine icons in their home countries.

The Golden Boy Web Fans Award roll of honour also features Kenan Yildiz (2024) and Jude Bellingham (2023). Bellingham remains the only player to date to have been chosen both by the international jury of journalists for the Golden Boy Absolute Best award and by fans for the Web Fans Award in the same year. Previous winners also include Nicola Zalewski, Karim Adeyemi, Ansu Fati, Mattéo Guendouzi, and the inaugural winner in 2018, Justin Kluivert.

From today until October, football fans around the world can select their Golden Boy Web with a simple click. Monthly voting rounds will be held, with the vote count reset after each stage. At the end of the process, votes from all rounds will be combined to determine the winner of the ninth edition of the award.

The online poll is available here.