The countdown is almost over. The next update of the Golden Boy Football Benchmark index, which determines the real-time ranking of the best Under-21 players in Europe, candidates for the European Golden Boy 2023 title, is just around the corner. While waiting to see the developments in the ranking, Football Benchmark has updated the market values of the players based on the latest sporting results and market movements.

The picture that emerges is one of a highly valuable generation of young footballers, as evidenced by the movements of the top European clubs in this first month of the transfer window. Jude Bellingham, the undisputed king of the summer transfer market with his move from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid, tops the list of the most valuable players, ahead of Musiala and Gavi. It’s the same podium we find in the initial Index, but with the first two positions reversed, while in the top 10, Italian player Scalvini enters, replacing Rensch from Ajax.

Among the top thirty players in this ranking, 10 play in the Premier League, confirming the weight of the English league in European football economy. There are 5 young talents from the Bundesliga and La Liga, while Italy is satisfied with Miretti (23rd) and the two Atalanta players Scalvini (10th) and Hojlund (6th), both sought after by the biggest clubs in Europe.

If the player who has increased his value the most since March is Arthur Vermeeren from Antwerp, going from 0.9 million to 17.7 million (a dizzying 2000% increase), even the most talked-about names in the market have seen their prices grow exponentially: from Hojlund (+133%) to Colwill (+128%), and including Xavi Simons (+97%), Cherki (+97%), and Arda Guler (+96%).

The candidates for the next Golden Boy award are progressing well, and the market values certified by Football Benchmark prove it. The future is already in their hands, and at their feet.

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