On Tuesday, one of the most prestigious awards in world soccer published its list of 20 candidates that will aspire to be named the sport’s “Golden Boy” in December of this year.
The Italian magazine Tuttosport, which presents the award to the top soccer player under 21 in all of Europe every winter, narrowed down a strong list of candidates to the twenty contenders that will look to take home an award that has been won by stars such as Leo Messi and Paul Pogba in the past.
Last year’s winner, Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt, has been nominated for the award for the second consecutive season after impressing in his debut with the Italian champions.
Other notable names that appear on the list include Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, who is considered to be England’s next big star, Vinicius Jr. of Real Madrid and Joao Felix of Atletico Madrid.
Newly-crowned starlet Ansu Fati, who made his FC Barcelona senior team debut earlier this season, is the youngest player on the list at the young age of 16. He was also perhaps the biggest surprise on the list.
The winner of the award will be revealed at a star-studded ceremony in Turin in December.
