Five "wild card" picks included - 20-man shortlist for the 2025 Golden Boy award revealed

On Wednesday the shortlist for this year’s Golden Boy award was confirmed, with 20 initial players shortlisted for the prestigious honour alongside five further players placed on the “Wild Card” list. Only players born after January 1, 2005 were considered for the award, with a number of benchmark statistics - such as performances on the pitch, playing time and the strength of the teams each player plays for - ultimately allowing online users to decide who wins the award. Bonus metrics like performances for each player’s respective national team and success in European competitions are also taken into account.

Since its inception in 2003, the Golden Boy award has been dominated by forward and midfield talents, with only one defender ( Matthijs de Ligt in 2018) winning the award. That has led to the trophy being considered as something of a precursor to a player’s journey towards competing for the Ballon D’Or later in their careers. In the last five years, three Barcelona players (Pedri in 2021, Gavi in 2022 and Lamine Yamal in 2024) have won the award, with Erling Haaland claiming the honours in 2020 and Jude Bellingham being picked among his peers in 2023. But who is on the shortlist for this year’s award? A full list of each candidate ranked by their market value can be found below.

Golden Boy 2025: 20-player shortlist

Alongide the 20-man shortlist, which was wittled down from a list of 100 players from across European football by the aformentioned statistical benchmarks and criteria, five additional players have also been included in the voting as "Wild Card" options. The five playdrs added to this year's Golden Boy shortlist are ranked below by highest market value.

Five-man "Wild Card" shortlist

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