Al-Zabiri competes with Barcelona star for a La Liga award

The Moroccan player has shone brightly at the start of the season.

LaLiga's official account on "X" revealed the nominees for their September 2026 award for the best player under 23, run in partnership with "Riyadh Season".

Five players made the cut: Morocco's Yassir Zabiri, forward of Racing Santander, Villarreal's Alberto Molero, Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi, Sevilla winger Miguel Sierra, and Celta Vigo's Yoel Lago.

For Zabiri, it's a second nomination in a row. He last featured in August, when Espanyol's Javi Hernandez took the prize.

Aged 21, the striker has made a flying start to his first LaLiga season at Racing Santander, where he is on loan from France's Stade Rennes. He has hit 6 goals in 6 matches, including a hat-trick against Elche, a brace against Alaves and a goal against Barcelona.

Few rising talents in Moroccan football burn brighter. Zabiri helped Morocco's under-20s lift the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, scoring 5 goals across the tournament. He grabbed a brace in the 2-0 final win over Argentina and collected the Silver Ball.

A first senior call-up has followed. Zabiri joins the current Morocco camp for two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Gabon and Lesotho, before a friendly against Ghana.

Cubarsi, meanwhile, keeps proving himself one of LaLiga's brightest stars. The 19-year-old Barcelona defender already has the best player under 23 award to his name, having won it back in April 2026.