Man Utd have three players listed in top 100 for race to win Golden Boy award

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by Chris Hetherington
Tuesday, 16 September 2025 at 15:23
Screenshot 2025-08-24 at 18.49.33
Manchester United have three representatives in the top 100 for the annual Golden Boy award.
Each season, the list of potential winners is whittled down until the final announcement is made in November.
Ayden Heaven, Kobbie Mainoo and Leny Yoro are all included, with the award's Benchmark Index helping rank footballers born on or after 1 January 2005.
A number of metrics are factored in for the Europe-wide accolade, such as sporting performance, playing time and club strength.

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Yoro, who started Sunday's Manchester derby defeat to City, is in joint-13th spot overall, ahead of Mainoo (36th) and Heaven (89th).
When considering only Premier League performers, Leny is joint-fourth, behind only Arsenal pair Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, plus Chelsea's recent recruit Jorrel Hato.
Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal leads the way, as he bids to retain the trophy he won last year.

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Paris Saint-Germain's Desire Doue, Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi and Real Madrid centre-back Dejan Huijsen are next on the list, reported ManUtd.com.
Yamal is in line to become the first-ever youngster to win the prize, started by Tuttosport in 2003, twice and would ensure four of the last five victors played for Barcelona.
Current Red Matthijs de Ligt is the only defender to land the accolade, following his exploits with Ajax in 2018.

How the voting works

The Golden Boy award is chosen through a voting process organised by the Italian newspaper Tuttosport. Here’s how it works:
  • 📝 Nominees: At the start of the year, Tuttosport compiles a longlist of the best under-21 players playing in Europe’s top divisions. This is gradually cut down to a shortlist.
  • 🗳️ Voting panel: Around 30 leading sports journalists from major European outlets (e.g. L’Équipe, Marca, Bild, The Times) each cast votes.
  • 🔢 Points system: Each journalist ranks their top five. First choice gets 10 points, second 7, third 5, fourth 3, and fifth 1.
  • 🏆 Winner: The player with the highest total points is awarded the Golden Boy.
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