Désiré Doué and Franco Mastantuono are among the many rising stars acknowledged as a part of European soccer’s subsequent era of expertise, following standout seasons with Paris Saint-Germain and Actual Madrid, respectively. Nevertheless, as the total record of 2025 Golden Boy nominees was unveiled, many followers have been fast to note one obvious omission: Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.
The Golden Boy Award, offered by Italian outlet Tuttosport, honors the most effective European-based participant underneath the age of 21 and is usually considered the Ballon d’Or equal for younger expertise. In contrast to the Kopa Trophy (offered by France Soccer alongside the Ballon d’Or), the Golden Boy particularly requires gamers to be competing in a European first-division membership.
As 2025 attracts to an in depth, the 25-player shortlist has been introduced, with Doué rising as one of many frontrunners after enjoying a key position in PSG’s UEFA Champions League–successful marketing campaign. A number of of his teammates additionally made the reduce, as did a number of Actual Madrid prospects together with Mastantuono. Nonetheless, Yamal’s absence stays one of many greatest speaking factors surrounding this 12 months’s version.
Why is Lamine Yamal excluded from the Golden Boy award?
At simply 18 years previous, Lamine Yamal has already cemented himself amongst world soccer’s elite, successful La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Supercup, and starring for each Barcelona and the Spanish nationwide group. Naturally, followers have been left questioning why the younger winger’s identify was lacking from this 12 months’s Golden Boy shortlist.
Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona is offered with the Golden Boy 2024 award.
Lamine Yamal was not included within the Golden Boy shortlist as a result of he has already received the award. In line with Tuttosport’s guidelines, earlier winners can’t be nominated once more, in contrast to the Kopa Trophy, which Yamal received in back-to-back years.
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Yamal captured the 2024 Golden Boy forward of Fiorentina’s Michael Kayode and Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz, the identical 12 months he led Spain to victory at UEFA EURO 2024, recording 4 assists — together with one within the remaining towards England.
The whole record of 2025 Golden Boy
- Désiré Doué – PSG
- Senny Mayulu – PSG
- Warren Zaire-Emery – PSG
- Leny Yoro – Manchester United
- Eliesse Ben Seghir – Bayer 04 Leverkusen
- Mamadou Sarr – Racing Strasbourg
- Ethan Nwaneri – Arsenal
- Nico O’Reilly – Manchester Metropolis
- Archie Grey – Tottenham Hotspur
- Lucas Bergvall – Tottenham Hotspur
- Jobe Bellingham – Borussia Dortmund
- Pau Cubarsí – FC Barcelona
- Dean Huijsen – Actual Madrid
- Arda Güler – Actual Madrid
- Franco Mastantuono – Actual Madrid
- Kenan Yildiz – Juventus
- Geovany Quenda – Sporting Lisbon
- Rodrigo Mora – FC Porto
- Victor Froholdt – FC Porto
- Pio Esposito – Inter Milan
- Giovanni Leoni – Liverpool
- Jorrel Hato – Chelsea
- Estevão – Chelsea
- Aleksandar Stanković – Membership Brugee
