by Silvia Campanella
Ever since we included it amongst the European Golden Boy awards in 2022, interest has grown steadily and globally. Amongst industry insiders, fans and the players themselves. In fact, the Absolute Best was missing a counterpart: an award for the best European Under-21 female player. And so it was Germany’s Jule Brand who opened the European Golden Girl’s roll of honour, followed by talents such as Linda Caicedo, Vicky Lopez and Michelle Agyemang, who won the award last year.
This award reflects the steady growth of women’s football at European level and, once again this year, brings together the very best the Old Continent has to offer. The criteria are, in fact, the same as those used for men: candidates must have been born on or after 1 January 2006 and belong to a European club. Who will be the winner? One of these ten young talents, amongst whom two Italians stand out; they will also be competing for the Best Italian Golden Girl award, an honour established much earlier – in 2018 – and previously won, in chronological order, by Glionna, Greggi, Bragonzi, Tomaselli, Arcangeli, Beccari, Dragoni and Schatzer.
The candidates, then, in strict alphabetical order. Iman Beney, a Swiss player born in 2006 who plays for Manchester City, is a fast and versatile attacking winger who stands out for her acceleration, one-on-one ability and unpredictability. Also from the Women’s Super League comes Veerle Buurman, a Dutch player for Chelsea (born in 2006), a modern, well-structured centre-back who boasts excellent defensive awareness and great qualities in building play and managing possession. Giulia Galli moved from Roma to Barcelona in the summer; she is a mobile and instinctive striker who, at just 18, has already made her mark with her eye for goal, ability to exploit spaces and presence in the box: the Italian international was a key player in September during our Under-20 national team’s excellent World Cup campaign, which saw them only defeated by Spain in the semi-finals. That very team was captained by Azzurra Gallo, the other Italian in the running, born in 2006, owned by Juventus and currently on loan at Toulouse: a solid and charismatic defender who stands out for her tactical intelligence, defensive reliability and leadership qualities.
The third and final player from the English league is Smilla Holmberg, a Swedish player born in 2006 who plays for Arsenal; she is a dynamic, attacking full-back who combines speed, intensity and the ability to drive forward down the flanks. A French player who plays in France, specifically for Paris FC, is Maeline Mendy, a technical and creative attacking midfielder born in 2006 who stands out for her vision, quality in the final pass and eye for goal.
Barcelona’s list of candidates also includes the Swiss player Sydney Schertenleib (born in 2007), an elegant and all-round attacking midfielder thanks to her technical ability, physical strength and excellent timing in joining the attack – a key member of the team that lifted the Women’s Champions League trophy last May. On the other side of the ‘Clàsico’ is the Swedish player Felicia Schröder (born in 2007), an explosive and dynamic striker who joined Real Madrid this summer after winning the Women’s Europa Cup with Häcken at the end of last season. Note: in the two-legged final against Hammarby, she scored all four of her team’s goals (1–0 in the first leg, 3–2 in the second leg).
The German representative amongst the finalists is the talented and stylish Alara Şehitler (born in 2006), a creative and unpredictable Bayern Munich player who excels in close-quarters play, dribbling and her ability to create chances.
Rounding off the list of the top 10 European Under-21 players is Clara Serrajordi, the third Barcelona player on the list and also fresh from the Women’s Champions League: a skilful and intelligent Spanish midfielder, born in 2007, she is a pure talent when it comes to her vision, passing accuracy and control of the tempo.
Who will win the European Golden Girl title? We’ll find out at the press conference in November, when the winner will be announced alongside all the other winners of the 2026 edition.
