Young Real Madrid Trio Nominated for 2026 Golden Boy Award

There is a lot of anticipation for the Ballon d'Or award set to be handed out in London at the end of the month, with there being a hope that Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe will win the much coveted prize for the very first time in his career. 

However, it is not the only award that will be won on the 26th, with there being a number of other prizes on offer, including the Golden Boy award, given to the best young player in the world. 

Well, there have been three Real Madrid players officially nominated for the award. Indeed so, as Yan Diomande, Franco Mastantuono and Endrick are all on the final list of nominees, alongisde some very talented players. 

It was a tough first season in the Spanish capital for Mastantuono, playing just 1510 minutes (the equivalent of around 16.7 full 90's) across all competitions, scoring three goals and failing to provide an assist. So, his name on the list may come across as a bit of a surprise. 

Owing to this lack of game time, the teenager joined Serie A side Fiorentina on loan in the summer transfer window, scoring a hat-trick and thus equalling his tally from last season in a game against Venezia on the 11th of September. He also scored in a friendly win over Burkina Faso for the Argentina national team during this break. 

Meanwhile, after a very tough first half of the season, Endrick joined Lyon on loan in January and never looked back. The Brazilian scored eight goals and provided a further eight assists for the Ligue 1 side, and managed to get himself back into the Brazil national team ahead of the FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. 

Then, you have Diomande, who had the best season of all three at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga. Across all competitions, the Ivorian international scored 13 goals and provided a further nine assists, with his underlying numbers (such as dribbles and big chances created) looking even better. 

To explain it simply: he did so well that he ended up being the most expensive signing in Real Madrid history, so he clearly did plenty right, and should be right up there when it comes to this award. It is great to see him get some very deserved recognition. 

We will keep you updated as always when the winner of the award is officially confirmed.