Mbappe Leads Group; Pulisic, Weah Miss Cut as Golden Boy Shortlist is Trimmed
Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United stars are among the talented young players to have made the final cut for the 2018 Golden Boy award.
The original list of 40 names has been whittled down to just 20 for the prestigious accolade, with the winner to be announced later in the year.
Presented each season to the best player in Europe aged 21 or under, the likes of Vinicius Junior, Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Dalot and Justin Kluivert are all still in with a chances of joining past winners Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe himself is also on the list and could become the first player to win twice after his incredible performances for a victorious France team at the World Cup during the summer.
Tuttosport, the publication that created the award in 2003, has also named Patrick Cutrone of Milan, Everton youngster Tom Davies, Dayot Upamencano of Red Bull Leipzig and Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt on the reduced list.
Borussia Dortmund's Christian Pulisic, Paris Saint-Germain's Timothy Weah and Juventus' Moise Kean were the highest profile names not to make the cut from the 40-strong list.
Final 20 Nominees for 2018 Golden Boy Award:
Player | Club | Nationality | Date of Birth |
Liverpool | English | 7th October 1998 | |
Kelvin Amian (DF) | Toulouse | French | 8th February 1998 |
Houssem Aouar (MF) | Lyon | French | 30th June 1998 |
Josip Brekalo (FW) | Wolfsburg | Croatian | 23rd June 1998 |
Patrick Cutrone (FW) | Milan | Italian | 2nd January 1998 |
Dani Olmo (FW) | Dinamo Zagreb | Spanish | 7th May 1998 |
Tom Davies (MF) | Everton | English | 30th June 1998 |
Matthijs de Ligt (DF) | Ajax | Dutch | 12th August 1999 |
Diogo Dalot (DF) | Portuguese | 18th Match 1999 | |
Eder Militao (DF) | Porto | Brazilian | 18th January 1998 |
Odsonne Edouard (FW) | Celtic | French | 16th January 1998 |
Phil Foden (MF) | Manchester City | English | 28th May 2000 |
Gedson Fernandes (MF) | Benfica | Portuguese | 9th January 1999 |
Amadou Haidara (MF) | Red Bull Salzburg | Malian | 31st January 1998 |
Achraf Hakimi (DF) | Borussia Dortmund | Moroccan | 4th November 1998 |
Nanitamo Ikone (MF) | Lille | French | 2nd May 1998 |
Justin Kluivert (FW) | Roma | Dutch | 5th May 1999 |
Kylian Mbappe (FW) | Paris Saint-Germain | French | 20th December 1998 |
Dayot Upamecano (DF) | RB Leipzig | French | 27th October 1998 |
Vinicius Junior (FW) | Real Madrid | Brazilian | 12th July 2000 |
France Football, who oversees the Ballon d'Or, recently created its own similar award for players aged 21 or under, the Kopa Trophy, named for the late France legend Raymond Kopa.
