The nominations for the 2025 Golden Boy award have been officially released. The list features some of the best under-21 players currently active in European football, with several emerging stars from top clubs across the continent making the cut.

Among the nominees are a strong contingent from France, including Désiré Doué, Leny Yoro, Senny Mayulu, Warren Zaire-Emery, Eliesse Ben Seghir, and Mamadou Sarr. England is also well represented with Ethan Nwaneri, Nico O’Reilly, Archie Gray, and Jobe Bellingham on the list. Spain’s young talents Pau Cubarsí and Dean Huijsen are included, alongside Turkish duo Kenan Yildiz and Arda Güler. Other notable names include Portugal’s Geovany Quenda and Rodrigo Mora, Italy’s Pio Esposito and Giovanni Leoni, Argentina’s Franco Mastantuono, the Netherlands’ Jorrel Hato, Brazil’s Estevão, Denmark’s Victor Froholdt, Serbia’s Aleksandar Stanković, and Sweden’s Lucas Bergvall.

The Golden Boy award is decided by a panel of top sports journalists from across Europe, representing leading publications such as L’Équipe (France), Marca (Spain), A Bola (Portugal), The Times (United Kingdom), and Bild (Germany), among others. The award is seen as one of the most prestigious recognitions for young talent in European football and is similar in profile to the Kopa Trophy, which is presented during the Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Lamine Yamal, who won the Golden Boy award last year, is not eligible for nomination this time around, as previous winners cannot be nominated again.