We have finally hit the time of year when the awards for the 2025/26 season will be given out. The Ballon d'Or ceremony is just weeks away, with there being great hopes at Bayern Munich that Harry Kane will be bringing the award to the Allianz Arena after his historic campaign last season.
Along with the Ballon d'Or, the 2026 Golden Boy Award will be given to the best under-21 player in Europe, and there was no shortage of young talent that had breakout seasons in the 25/26 season. Last season saw Bayern Munich have one of their own youngsters burst onto the scene and establish himself as one of the best youngsters in the world, and he is among the final nominees for the award all youngsters want to get their hands on.
As announced today on X, the final 25 nominees for the 2026 Golden Boy Award have been released, with Lennart Karl among the finalists and viewed as a potential top candidate to bring home the award. The 18-year-old stamped his claim as one of the best and most exciting young attackers in the game, putting on a number of solid performances, making him a worthy contender to take home the award.
Can Lennart Karl bring the Golden Boy Award to the Allianz Arena?
Bayern Munich have had their share of past Golden Boy winners play for the club, with Mario Gotze, Renato Sanches, and Matthijs de Ligt all having won the award and played for Bayern at some point in their careers. Bayern will be hoping Karl will be the next to join the list, with the 18-year-old having a strong case to be one of the favorites to win.
The German bagged nine goals and eight assists in 39 appearances across all competitions, which are pretty solid numbers for an 18-year-old in his first full professional l season. Karl is the youngest player among the 25 nominees, an impressive feat considering some of the biggest young stars in the game are also up for the award.
The list also includes fellow Bundesliga players Konstantinos Karetas of Borussia Dortmund, Said El Mala of Köln, and Finn Jeltsch of Stuttgart. Yan Diomande and Luka Vuskovic are also among the nominees, and while they have both since moved on from the Bundesliga, they were technically Bundesliga players for the time period the award is based on.
Barcelona's Pau Cubarsi is the strong favorite to take home the award, and after the season the Spaniard had, it is hard to argue against him being the winner. At 18-years-old, Karl still has his whole career ahead of him and still has a few years of eligibility to get his hands on the Golden Boy trophy. He's already grabbed one goal and one assist through the first five games, as he looks to show that he's not just a one-season wonder, but a player who will define the next generation of Bayern Munich.
Add us as a preferred source on Google