Désiré Doué and Franco Mastantuono are among the rising stars recognized as part of European soccer’s next generation of talent, following standout seasons with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, respectively. However, as the full list of 2025 Golden Boy nominees was unveiled, many fans were quick to notice one glaring omission: Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.
The Golden Boy Award, presented by Italian outlet Tuttosport, honors the best European-based player under the age of 21 and is often regarded as the Ballon d’Or equivalent for young talent. Unlike the Kopa Trophy (presented by France Football alongside the Ballon d’Or), the Golden Boy specifically requires players to be competing in a European first-division club.
As 2025 draws to a close, the 25-player shortlist has been announced, with Doué emerging as one of the frontrunners after playing a key role in PSG’s UEFA Champions League–winning campaign. Several of his teammates also made the cut, as did multiple Real Madrid prospects including Mastantuono. Still, Yamal’s absence remains one of the biggest talking points surrounding this year’s edition.
Why is Lamine Yamal excluded from the Golden Boy award?
At just 18 years old, Lamine Yamal has already cemented himself among world soccer’s elite, winning La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Supercup, and starring for both Barcelona and the Spanish national team. Naturally, fans were left wondering why the young winger’s name was missing from this year’s Golden Boy shortlist.
Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona is presented with the Golden Boy 2024 award.
Lamine Yamal was not included in the Golden Boy shortlist because he has already won the award. According to Tuttosport’s rules, previous winners cannot be nominated again, unlike the Kopa Trophy, which Yamal won in back-to-back years.
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Yamal captured the 2024 Golden Boy ahead of Fiorentina’s Michael Kayode and Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz, the same year he led Spain to victory at UEFA EURO 2024, recording four assists — including one in the final against England.
The complete list of 2025 Golden Boy
- Désiré Doué – PSG
- Senny Mayulu – PSG
- Warren Zaire-Emery – PSG
- Leny Yoro – Manchester United
- Eliesse Ben Seghir – Bayer 04 Leverkusen
- Mamadou Sarr – Racing Strasbourg
- Ethan Nwaneri – Arsenal
- Nico O’Reilly – Manchester City
- Archie Gray – Tottenham Hotspur
- Lucas Bergvall – Tottenham Hotspur
- Jobe Bellingham – Borussia Dortmund
- Pau Cubarsí – FC Barcelona
- Dean Huijsen – Real Madrid
- Arda Güler – Real Madrid
- Franco Mastantuono – Real Madrid
- Kenan Yildiz – Juventus
- Geovany Quenda – Sporting Lisbon
- Rodrigo Mora – FC Porto
- Victor Froholdt – FC Porto
- Pio Esposito – Inter Milan
- Giovanni Leoni – Liverpool
- Jorrel Hato – Chelsea
- Estevão – Chelsea
- Aleksandar Stanković – Club Brugee
