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Zaïre-Emery drops out of Golden Boy podium after underwhelming World Cup

Underused by Didier Deschamps at the World Cup, Warren Zaïre-Emery has fallen to fourth place in the August Golden Boy rankings, overtaken by Pau Cubarsí, Lamine Yamal and Yan Diomandé.

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Zaïre-Emery drops out of Golden Boy podium after underwhelming World Cup
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Warren Zaïre-Emery is no longer on the Golden Boy podium. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, who was in second place before the World Cup, has dropped two places in the August rankings published by Tuttosport and now sits fourth.

It is Pau Cubarsí, the 19-year-old central defender for FC Barcelona, who tops the rankings. He leads Lamine Yamal, who cannot, however, be crowned Golden Boy, having already won the trophy in 2024. Yan Diomandé completes the podium, relegating Zaïre-Emery to fourth place.

The 19-year-old’s decline is directly explained by his subdued World Cup. Didier Deschamps used him only twice during the tournament: a substitute appearance in the quarter-final against Morocco, then a start in the third-place playoff against England. Insufficient playing time to compete with the players ahead of him in the rankings, who shone during the competition.

Yet Zaïre-Emery’s 2025-2026 club season had been solid, even if Luis Enrique chose not to start him in the Ligue des Champions final. The French international midfielder, who has thirteen caps, remains in contention for the final trophy, but will need to raise his performance level to get back in the race against competitors on the rise.

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