Moroccan football has another young name making a very serious list.
Ayyoub Bouaddi has been named among the final 25 candidates for the 2026 Golden Boy award, putting the 19 year old midfielder alongside some of the most exciting young players currently competing in Europe.
The Golden Boy award, organised by Italian newspaper Tuttosport, is basically one of football’s biggest “remember this name” lists. It recognises the best player under 21 competing in a European top flight, and previous winners include Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Lamine Yamal.
Not exactly bad company.
Bouaddi’s nomination comes after a huge year for the Moroccan midfielder, whose performances have quickly pushed him from promising youngster into one of the most closely watched players of his generation.
And for Morocco, that is the bigger story.
The Atlas Lions already have a generation playing across some of Europe’s biggest clubs, but Bouaddi represents what comes next: another young Moroccan talent entering the conversation before even reaching his twenties.
Making the final 25 does not mean the award is his. The winner will be decided by an international panel of journalists and announced later this year.
But reaching this stage is already significant.
At 19, Bouaddi is now being discussed in the same award race as Europe’s most valuable young footballers.
Moroccan football’s next generation apparently has no interest in waiting for its turn.
