FC Barcelona are one of the best clubs in the world, especially in regards to the development of youth talent. This focus on training and development of young talents not only provides the club with a useful source of income, but some of the club’s most promising eras have also seen players from La Masia being prominent members of the first team squad.
Furthermore, the club is also always alert to any young talent emerging at other clubs throughout the world, and the current Barcelona squad has several young players playing at a very high level, including Pedri, Gavi, Balde, and Lamine Yamal.
Pedri and Gavi not among the finalists
The former two of the four players, i.e., Pedri and Gavi, have already been recognized as the best young players as they are the winners of the Golden Boy award in the last two editions.
The Golden Boy Award recognizes the best footballer in Europe under 21 years of age and is awarded by the Italian newspaper, Tuttosport. The 25 finalists for the upcoming edition of the award have already been finalized, and the winner will be announced in November, while the award will formally be handed out on 4th December in Turin.
Unfortunately for Barcelona fans, in this latest 25-man list, the names of Gavi and Pedri are missing. Both these players are still under the age of 21 and are also clearly among the best players in the world.
However, as reported by SPORT, they are excluded from this list because of a regulation for the award under which none of the previous winners of the award can win the title a second time. Pedri won it in 2021, while Gavi is the reigning holder of the title.
Jude Bellingham the favourite
Gavi did feature in the preliminary lists for this reward but has now been excluded because of this regulation. Two other players, Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde, are still in contention for this award.
Still, the favorite to win the award this time is a player from Barcelona’s biggest rivals, Real Madrid. Jude Bellingham joined the Madrid club this summer and has continued on his good form in his new club.
After finishing second in the last two editions, the Englishman is the favorite to win the award this time, while another Real Madrid player, Arda Guler, is also in contention.
