by pressroom
Désiré Doué is the standout figure in the second update of the Golden Boy Football Benchmark Index: his Champions League victory, second place in the FIFA Club World Cup, and bronze medal in the Nations League with France have pushed the PSG forward up to 2nd place, ready to challenge Lamine Yamal’s dominance.
The race for the European Golden Boy 2025 is heating up. The award, established by Tuttosport in 2003 and now in its 23rd edition, is given to the best Under-21 player playing in a European league.
THE GOLDEN BOY FOOTBALL BENCHMARK INDEX
Thanks to a collaboration with Football Benchmark — the award’s data & analytics partner — the GBFB Index allows for continuous monitoring of players’ performances using objective data, including minutes played, transfers, and performances for both national teams and clubs.
This second update (https://www.europeangoldenboy.com/golden-boy-football-benchmark-index/) takes into account matches played up to July 13, 2025.
Lamine Yamal, the 2007-born Barcelona forward and winner of the last edition, still leads the ranking. However, per the rules, he is no longer eligible for the award having already won it once. Overtaken by Doué, the podium is completed by Pau Cubarsí, another 2007-born Barcelona player and Yamal’s teammate.
The market value of the current podium has risen from €306.4 million to €505.4 million in the past two months, while the total market value of the full list has increased by €741.7 million since May, now totaling €2.4526 billion.
There are 12 new players in the GBFB Index. Among them are Nico O’Reilly from Manchester City, who jumped straight to 18th place, and Estevão from Chelsea (39th). Additionally, 18 players have changed clubs during the current transfer window.
Among the most represented leagues, the Premier League has surged from 14 players in May to the current 26, confirming a strong market focus on Under-21 talents. It is followed by the Bundesliga (12) and Ligue 1 (11), which shows a drop of 3 compared to two months ago. France remains the most represented country (14 players), followed by Belgium and England (10 each), and Spain (9).
The club with the most players on the list remains Chelsea (7, up by three since May), followed by Tottenham and Leipzig (4). With Arda Güler climbing to 10th place, Real Madrid now matches Barcelona and PSG with two players each in the top ten.
There are 3 goalkeepers on the list, along with 37 defenders, 29 midfielders, and 31 forwards. The youngest player is Konstantinos Karetsas, a Belgian midfielder of Greek origin from Genk, born on 19/11/2007, who ranks 77th in the GBFB Index.
