by pressroom
The journey toward the election of the 2025 European Golden Boy is about to reach one of its most anticipated milestones: the announcement of the 25 finalists, from which the successor to Lamine Yamal, the Absolute Best of 2024, will be chosen. And the stage for this new event—scheduled for this afternoon—will be a location that perfectly embodies the values of our award: vision, planning, and hope for the future. Genoa will open the doors of the Badia di Sant’Andrea on the Collina degli Erzelli, which recently became home to its youth academy—a modern boarding facility set in a historic environment that makes it both forward-looking and deeply rooted in the city. It is there that the 25 names will be revealed, and then passed into the hands of the international jury made up of 50 journalists from Europe’s leading media outlets, who will be tasked—according to tradition—with electing the 2025 European Golden Boy. A few technical notes: 20 of these finalists come from the top positions of the Golden Boy Football Benchmark Index—our trusted ally that, like an ATP ranking, allows us to monitor the performances of U21 talents across European clubs in real time and keep an up-to-date snapshot of the entire youth football scene. The remaining five are wild cards awarded to players outside the top 20 who were nonetheless deemed worthy of a shot at such a prestigious honor.
Thus, the algorithm used up to this point will now give way to the human knowledge: the expertise of an elite jury that knows these talents, explores them in depth, and reports on them every day—this jury will have the final say. During today’s event, the 10 finalists for the European Golden Girl will also be announced. This award, launched three years ago, already boasts a list of winners who have confirmed their worth on the pitch—namely Jule Brand, Linda Caicedo, and Vicky Lopez. From this shortlist will also come the Italian Golden Girl winner, which last year went to Giulia Dragoni.
But while the announcement of the male and female finalists will be the highlight of Genoa’s program, what comes before it will be equally impressive. Tuttosport director Guido Vaciago and Sky Sport journalist Federica Lodi will moderate two panels closely aligned with the themes at the heart of the Golden Boy and the event’s setting.
The first panel, “At the heart of talent – The importance of dedicated facilities for the growth of young champions” will feature Football Club Advisor Federico Mari and Genoa CFC CEO Andrés Blázquez. The second will include Genoa head coach Patrick Vieira and is titled “Coach of the future: Analysis and comparison of youth development models through the lens of a coach who has devoted much of his career to them”. Among the guests will also be Marta Carissimi, head of Genoa’s women’s section and its newly promoted Serie A first team, adding further value to the presentation of the female award.
Meanwhile, the race for the European Golden Boy Fan Award also continues—the accolade voted on by fans from around the world, which last year was awarded to Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz. Participating is easy—just one click on the poll available on tuttosport.com, which has already gathered over one million votes. In short, all the ingredients are in place for another major celebration of youth football—a football that nurtures, showcases, and tells the stories of tomorrow’s stars.
Today we’ll find out the 25 finalists, and the wait for the next name to be added to the winners’ list is almost over!
