The Golden Boy award, presented annually by the Italian newspaper 'Tuttosport' since 2003, will have a new winner this year. Lamine Yamal made history in 2024 by becoming the youngest player (17 years old) and with the highest approval rating (97.6%) to win the award, but the FC Barcelona '10' will not be able to revalidate the distinction.
The reason is very simple: according to the rules of the Golden Boy, since its creation, no player can repeat as winner. That explains why, in the 22 previous editions, there were 22 different players chosen as the best young footballer (under 21 years old) to win it.
The organizers openly acknowledge that, were it not for this rule, Lamine would once again win the 2025 edition in the same overwhelming manner as he did a year ago. The player from Mataró revalidated the Kopa Trophy last month, finished second in the race for the Ballon d'Or, and is already the most valuable footballer on the planet (€200M).
According to the rules set by 'Tuttosport':
- Only players under the age of 21 are eligible.
- All nominees must play for a European club.
- A player who turns 21 in the year of the award cannot win the award.
- Players who have won before (like Lamine Yamal) cannot win the award again.
Pau Cubarsí Could Be the Fifth Barça Player to Win the Golden Boy Award
As such, Pau Cubarsí will be the only FC Barcelona player nominated for the 2025 edition. The center-back is once again among the 25 finalists and, at 18 years old, seeks to become the fifth Barça youth player to win the award. Barça, for the moment, is the most decorated club, followed by Manchester United (3), Atlético de Madrid, Ajax, and Borussia Dortmund (2).
The first Barça player to receive the Golden Boy was Leo Messi, exactly two decades ago (2005). Subsequently, Pedri (2021) and Gavi (2022) won the award in consecutive years. Jude Bellingham (2023) broke the Barça streak, as 3 of the last 4 awards have gone to the Barça trophy case.
🏆FC Barcelona players who have won the Golden Boy award:
- Leo Messi - 2005
- Pedri González - 2021
- Pablo Gavi - 2022
- Lamine Yamal - 2024
Players Nominated for the 2025 Golden Boy Award
Thus, the 25 nominees by 'Tuttosport' for the 2025 Golden Boy have Desiré Doue, Warren Zaire-Emery (both from PSG), and Cubarsí as their main candidates. The team managed by Luis Enrique also has Senny Mayulu among the candidates, being, along with Real Madrid, the club with the most nominees (3).
The 'merengues' have Arda Güler, Dean Huijsen, and Franco Mastantuono among the finalists, the latter two joining in the last summer market. The Premier League is the tournament with the most nominees (9), followed by LaLiga and Ligue 1 (4). The award ceremony will take place next December, with the venue and date to be determined.
| PLAYER | AGE | CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| Désiré Doue | 19 | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Warren Zaire-Emery | 19 | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Senny Mayulu | 19 | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Pau Cubarsí | 18 | FC Barcelona |
| Arda Güler | 20 | Real Madrid |
| Franco Mastantuono | 18 | Real Madrid |
| Dean Huijsen | 20 | Real Madrid |
| Myles Lewis-Skelly | 18 | Arsenal |
| Ethan Nwaneri | 19 | Arsenal |
| Archie Gray | 19 | Tottenham |
| Lucas Bergvall | 19 | Tottenham |
| Leny Yoro | 19 | Man. United |
| Nico O'Reilly | 20 | Man. City |
| Jorrel Hato | 19 | Chelsea |
| Estevao Willian | 18 | Chelsea |
| Victor Froholdt | 19 | Oporto |
| Mamadou Sarr | 20 | Racing Strasbourg |
| Kenan Yildiz | 20 | Juventus |
| Geovany Quenda | 18 | Sporting CP |
| Eliesse Ben Seghir | 20 | Bayer Leverkusen |
| Jobe Bellingham | 20 | Borussia Dortmund* |
| Giovanni Leoni | 18 | Liverpool* |
| Rodrigo Mora | 18 | Oporto* |
| Pio Esposito | 20 | Inter Milan* |
| Aleksandar Stankovic | 20 | Bruges* |
- *Nominated as Wild Card.