Croatian defender Luka Vušković has been named among the top 10 contenders for the prestigious Golden Boy award, announced by the Italian publication Tuttosport. The award recognizes the best young footballers playing in European leagues. Vušković, who will play for Tottenham next season, is the only Croatian on the list and currently occupies the 10th position.

Dominance of Premier League and French Players

Among the 100 candidates for the 2026 Golden Boy award, the most represented league is the English Premier League, with 21 players. Following closely are the French Ligue 1 and the German Bundesliga, each with 16 representatives. In terms of nationality, French players lead with 13, followed by English (10) and Spanish (8). When it comes to clubs, Porto leads with five nominated players, while Chelsea and PSG each have four.

The Golden Boy award was established in 2003. This year’s initial list of candidates was determined based on criteria from Transfermarkt, but in subsequent voting stages, the number of candidates will be narrowed down by a special jury's votes. Given that Vušković had a successful season on loan at HSV, he is expected to improve his standing.

Current Ranking

  1. Lamine Yamal (Spain - ineligible to win)
  2. Warren Zaire-Emery (France)
  3. Pau Cubarsi (Spain)
  4. Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast)
  5. Estevao (Brazil)
  6. Ayyoub Bouaddi (Morocco)
  7. Lennart Karl (Germany)
  8. Victor Froholdt (Denmark)
  9. Joreel Hato (Netherlands)
  10. Luka Vušković (Croatia)