William Saliba: Gold Soccer Awards Best Lead CB of 2026

William Saliba is Gold Soccer Awards' Best Lead Centre-Back of 2026, recognised for his outstanding performances for Arsenal and France.

Composed, powerful and exceptionally intelligent, Saliba has become one of the most dependable defenders in world football.

During the 2025/26 season, Saliba was central to Arsenal's Premier League title-winning campaign, making 31 league appearances and starting 30. His reading of the game, pace, strength in one-on-one situations and ability to build attacks from the back make him an outstanding modern centre-back. He also represented France at the 2026 World Cup, making six appearances.

The finalists

Barcelona's Pau Cubarsí continued his remarkable development, making 48 appearances in all competitions during 2025/26 and demonstrating maturity well beyond his years.

Bayern Munich's Dayot Upamecano also impressed, bringing physical strength, recovery pace and aggression to the heart of Bayern's defence. Both are exceptional defenders, but Saliba takes the award.

Three exceptional players, but Saliba takes the crown.

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Gold Soccer Awards recognises footballing excellence independently, without influence from publicity, popularity or hype.