Arsenal starlet lands second Golden Boy nomination in a row
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Myles Lewis-Skelly has been named on the 25-man shortlist for the 2026 Golden Boy award, the prize handed out annually to the best under-21 player in Europe.
It is the second successive year the Hale End graduate has made the list. The difference this time is where he has earned it: last year's nomination came on the back of his work at left-back, while this one reflects his emergence as a midfielder.
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From the fringes to the Champions League final
Lewis-Skelly made just two Premier League appearances between January and April last season, a run that raised real questions about his standing in Mikel Arteta's squad. He was then moved into midfield for the final five games of the title-winning campaign and the trajectory changed completely.
That form earned him a start in the Champions League final against PSG, where he held his own against one of the deepest squads in Europe.
The momentum has carried into this season. He has featured in four of Arsenal's five Premier League matches so far and has been recalled to the England squad.
Fabregas still the only Gunner to win it
Arsenal have had no shortage of Golden Boy nominees down the years, but Cesc Fabregas remains the only player from the club to actually lift the award, doing so 20 years ago.
The list of previous Arsenal shortlistees is a lengthy one: Ethan Nwaneri, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba, Marquinhos, Alex Iwobi, Trae Coyle, Matteo Guendouzi, Reiss Nelson, Stephy Mavididi, Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Joel Campbell, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Yaya Sanogo and Serge Gnabry have all been named over the years, with varying outcomes at the Emirates.
As Arseblog notes, Max Dowman — currently ranked 46th in the accompanying Top 100 list — and Marli Salmon are the obvious candidates to follow Lewis-Skelly onto the shortlist in the coming seasons.
The competition
Lewis-Skelly is up against a strong field. Barcelona's Pau Cubarsi, Real Madrid duo Yan Diomande and Endrick, Chelsea pair Estevao and Jorrel Hato, Bayern Munich's Lennart Karl, Porto's Victor Froholdt and Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi and Rayan all feature on the main list, alongside Finn Jeltsch, Konstantinos Karetsas, Said El Mala, Jon Martin, Gianluca Prestianni and Brighton's Luka Vuskovic.
The wildcard entries are Joane Gadou, Franco Mastantuono, Charalampos Kostoulas, Xavi Espart and Rodrigo Mora. Lamine Yamal is absent because Golden Boy rules prevent previous winners from being nominated again.
For Lewis-Skelly, the nomination caps a turnaround that few would have predicted in April. Whether or not the vote goes his way, his place in Arteta's midfield is the more significant story for Arsenal this season.
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