Golden Boy 2022: The 5 Favorite Soccer Player to Win the Award

Beyond what the Ballon d'Or and The Best, another award that has become relevant and has become a true reference in the world of soccer is the Golden Boy. This is responsible for rewarding the European season of players under 21 years of age who, despite their young age, have proven to be an essential part of the functioning of their team. The Italian sports media Tuttosport is the organizer of the award, whose 2022 edition will be held in Turin on October 15th.

To choose the winner among the 100 candidates, different stages must be passed before reaching the final stretch with the 20 favorites. The final decision rests with 30 specialized journalists from around the world, who may or may not take as a reference the votes of the fans through the Tuttosport website. It is worth noting that this cybernetic winner will also receive a separate recognition and, for this edition, the podium is led by the Ecuadorian Piero Hincapié, defender of Bayer Leverkusen.

The Golden Boy had its first edition in 2003, when a young Rafael van der Vaart was awarded, who was already dazzling at Ajax in Amsterdam. Since then, the list of winners has been made up of figures such as Wayne Rooney (2004), Lionel Messi (2005), Sergio Agüero (2007), Mario Götze (2011), Isco Alarcón (2021), Paul Pogba (2013), Kylian Mbappé (2017), Erling Haaland (2020) and Pedri (2021). Below, we present the top 5 candidates to win the prize in 2022.

Gavi

A case similar to that of Pedri, teammate and last winner of the Golden Boy. The Spaniard is one of the youngest on the list (17 years old), although that has not limited him from becoming an important part of FC Barcelona and the Spain National Team. His skills with the ball have already attracted attention in the world of soccer, as he is a midfielder who stands out for his ability to associate, his precise and fast passes, as well as his creativity in tight spaces.

Jude Bellingham

At just 17 years old, this English player became the most expensive signing of his age when Borussia Dortmund acquired him for €23 million from Birmingham City in 2020. That may be a pretty high price to some, but the truth of the matter is that the midfielder has revalued enormously after his last season with 6 goals and 14 assists. Bellingham has a great physique that helps him in individual duels, in addition to being in charge of giving that last pass to the forwards.

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Ryan Gravenberg

The 20-year-old midfielder not only comes from being league champion with Ajax, but in addition to his 3 goals and 6 assists during the season, he has become one of the new signings of Bayern Munich. With this move, the German team will bring together this Dutchman, who has great technique and has reached the rival goal a lot, with Jamal Musiala, another candidate for the Golden Boy. Without a doubt, this will be one of the most promising midfield pairings in elite soccer.

Karim Adeyemi

The 20-year-old German is set to be Europe's next elite striker. Red Bull Salzburg not only discovered the goalscoring talent he had, but also helped him improve his skills. With the Austrian club, he scored 33 goals and distributed 21 assists during 95 games, numbers that earned him consideration by Borussia Dortmund and thus became Erling Haaland's replacement in the German team.

Eduardo Camavinga

For many, the favorite. Real Madrid's bet on this 19-year-old left very good feelings last season, to the point of being a permanent replacement in Carlo Ancelotti's scheme. Despite his young age, the French midfielder has a phenomenal vision of the game, and defensively he excels in pressure and individual duels. His record already has a Spanish league and a Champions League.