Search for Bellingham’s successor 

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The 25 finalists for the 2024 Golden Boy award presented by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport have been announced. They include seven Premier League youngsters, including Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo, Rico Lewis of Manchester City and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton among others. No league provides more nominees this year. The English top tier is followed by LaLiga (five players), Ligue 1 (four players) and the Bundesliga (three players).

The most players come from Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain with three each. They are followed by Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid with two nominees each. The most valuable Golden Boy candidate is Spanish EURO 2024 winner Lamine Yamal, who is valued at €150 million and has the best chance of winning the award. The ceremony will take place in Paris on October 28.

Since last year, the selection process has been based on an algorithm known as the Golden Boy Index. The index mainly considers sporting performances, playing time and club strength. The best twenty talents from the index and five wildcards selected by the Tuttosport editorial team make it to the final, where a jury of 50 journalists from all over Europe selects the winner. Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham won in 2023, while Barcelona’s Gavi finished top in 2022. The Golden Boy award has been presented since 2003. Lamine Yamal could replace Gavi as the youngest winner.