The list of the top 100 Golden Boy 2023 has been announced, with Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich) and Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) leading the top 10, while the 2022 Golden Boy winner Gavi (Barcelona) remains in third place.
This prestigious award, presented annually by Italy's Tuttosport publication, honors the best under-21 player in European football. Barcelona's rising star, Gavi, currently holds the title, and the 18-year-old Spanish national team player hopes to successfully defend his crown.
However, fierce competition for the top spot on the star-studded list includes talents like Bellingham, who recently joined Real Madrid for €103 million. Young player Musiala of Bayern Munich is also a top contender for the Golden Boy 2023 title.
Manchester United winger, Garnacho, is also vying for the position alongside the Red Devils' transfer target, forward Rasmus Hojlund (Atalanta). Dutch football prodigy Xavi Simons once again makes an appearance, alongside names like Alejandro Balde, Benjamin Sesko, Florian Wirtz, Rico Lewis, and Pedri, the winner of the Golden Boy 2021.
In total, players from 33 different countries feature on the Golden Boy 2023 list, with RB Salzburg (5 players) having the highest representation, while the Premier League is represented by 12 current and future stars. However, La Liga is currently seen as the frontrunner to win the Golden Boy award for the third consecutive year, following Gavi (2022) and Pedri (2021).
An award ceremony will take place in November to honor the winner. Prior to that, the list will be narrowed down after tallying the votes from eligible journalists. Each journalist will allocate 10 points to the player they believe will win, 7 points for second place, 5 points for third place, 3 points for fourth place, and 1 point for fifth place.
Golden Boy 2023 top 100 list:
Jamal Musiala, Bayern Munich
Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid
Gavi, Barcelona
Antonio Silva, Benfica
Alejandro Balde, Barcelona
Xavi Simons, PSV Eindhoven
Florian Wirtz, Bayer Leverkusen
Benjamin Sesko, RB Salzburg
Devyne Rensch, Ajax
Giorgio Scalvini, Atalanta
Lucas Gourna-Douath, RB Salzburg
Arthur Vermeeren, Royal Antwerp
Rayan Cherki, Lyon
Harvey Elliott, Liverpool
Milos Kerkez, AZ Alkmaar
Rasmus Hojlund, Atalanta
Rico Lewis, Manchester City
Arnau Martinez, Girona
Emanuel Emegha, SK Sturm Graz
Elias Jelert, FC Copenhagen
Stefan Bajcetic, Liverpool
Martin Baturina, Dinamo Zagreb
Levi Colwill, Chelsea
Warren Zaire-Emery, PSG
Martin Vitik, Sparta Prague
Ernest Nuamah, FC Nordsjaelland
Ismael Doukoure, RC Strasbourg
Zeno Debast, Anderlecht
Bjorn Meijer, Club Brugge
Johan Bakayoko, PSV Eindhoven
Mathys Tel, Bayern Munich
Alejandro Garnacho, Manchester United
Oleksandr Saputin, Zorya Lugansk
Robert Renan, Zenit St. Petersburg
Ariel Mosor, Piast Gliwice
Hugo Larsson, Eintracht Frankfurt
Matija Frigan, HNK Rijeka
Maurits Kjaergaard, RB Salzburg
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Borussia Dortmund
Fabio Mirretti, Juventus
Amane Romeo, BK Hacken
Bilal El Khannous, KRC Genk
Pavlo Isenko, Vorskla Poltava
Evan Ferguson, Brighton
Andy Diouf, FC Basel
Veljko Ilic, TSC Backa Topola
Christos Zafeiris, Norway
Julio Enciso, Brighton
El Chadaille Bitshiabu, PSG
Hakon Haraldsson, FC Copenhagen
Lesley Ugochukwu, Stade Rennais
Stefan Lekovic, Crvena Zvezda
William Clem, FC Copenhagen
Maksym Dyachuk, Dynamo Kyiv
Aurele Amenda, BSC Young Boys
Valdemar Lund, FC Copenhagen
Sael Kumbedi, Lyon
Johan Bangsbo, IFK Goteborg
Bonsu Baah, Sarpsborg 08 FF
Tommaso Baldanzi, Empoli
Peter Ratkov, RB Salzburg
Joao Neves, Benfica
Viktor Melekhin, FC Rostov
Lucas Hey, Lyngby BK
Youssoufa Moukoko, Borussia Dortmund
Elye Wahi, Montpellier
Romeo Lavia, Southampton
Victor Lind, IFK Norrkoping
Oscar Gloukh, RB Salzburg
Wilfried Gnonto, Leeds United
Noah Persson, BSC Young Boys
Filip Sidklev, IF Brommapojkarna
Otto Rosengren, Mjallby AIF
Tim Oermann, Wolfsberger AC
Arne Engels, FC Augsburg
Mathias Lovik, Molde FK
Marcus Baggesen, IFK Norrkoping
Arda Guler, Fenerbahce
Kacper Kozlowski, Vitesse/Brighton
Isaak Toure, AJ Auxerre
Alexander Busch, Silkeborg IF
Ervin Omic, Wolfsberger AC
Tobias Slotsager, Odense Boldklub
Luka Stojkovic, NK Lotomotiva Zagreb
Mouhamadou Diarra, RC Strasbourg
Facundo Buonanotte, Brighton
Kevin Kelsy, Shakhtar Donetsk
Arsen Zakharyan, FC Dinamo Moscow
Valentin Carboni, Inter
Odin Holm, Valerenga Fotball
Mohamed-Ali Cho, Real Sociedad
Samuel Illing-Junior, Juventus
Desire Doue, Stade Rennais
Ousmane Diomande, Sporting CP
Lewis Hall, Chelsea
Maximo Perrone, Manchester City
Matias Soule, Juventus
Carney Chukwuemeka, Chelsea
Luca Netz, Borussia Monchengladbach
Kevin Parades, VfL Wolfsburg
