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Top 5 Contenders for the GOLDEN BOY Award

The Golden Boy award has been received by some of football’s biggest young talents. Since its inception in 2003, the award has been a recognition of a young player’s hard work during the year. Rafael Van Der Vaart was the inaugural winner and Renato Sanches was the 2016 winner. The award is highly regarded among young individuals breaking through at their clubs. Regardless of which league they play in, nominees are decided by the media of various countries.

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The 2017 Golden Boy nominees list has brought some obvious candidates to the fore. While there have been some surprise candidates as well. The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele are considered to be favorites. While Gianluigi Donnarumma, Christian Pulisic, and Marcus Rashford are highly thought of, as well. Let’s analyze the top five contenders and try to make a case for each of them. In no particular order, here are five players among the nominees listed below, who have made a strong case to the Golden Boy of 2017.

5. Gabriel Jesus

After an impressive start to his career in England in 2016-17, Gabriel Jesus has been nominated for the award. Eight months into his life in the Premier League, the Brazilian has settled into Pep Guardiola’s team seamlessly. Additionally, his form has been a lot more efficient than what was expected of him.

He’s been in excellent form so far this season,  scoring 4 goals in 5 appearances in the league. In terms of national-level success, Jesus was a key component of the winning team at the 2016 Olympics. The Brazil national team ended up winning the gold medal and players like Jesus played an important role in that achievement. All of this has led to his nomination and him being a top contender for the Golden Boy award.

4. Christian Pulisic

American international Christian Pulisic’s 2016/17 season has seen reach new heights with club and country. Pulisic’s nomination for the Golden Boy has been a result of his achievements with the USMNT and Borussia Dortmund. Pulisic’s rapid at national and club level has been well-documented. After breaking through in the 2015/16 season, Pulisic won his first trophy in the 2016/17 season with Dortmund. Winning the DFB Pokal with the German side and marking a few historic achievements in the Bundesliga as well.

Towards the end of the 2015-16 season, Pulisic became the youngest player to score in the German top flight. His goal against Vfb Stuttgart cemented his status as a special young talent in world football. For the US Men’s National team, Pulisic broke all sorts of records for young players. Ranging from making debuts to scoring debut goals, Pulisic has done it all in the most wonderful fashion. All of this has made him a strong contender for the Golden Boy, it remains to be seen whether he has done enough to win the award.

3. Gianluigi Donnarumma

Young Italian keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has continued to grow as the no.1 keeper at AC Milan. Since making his debut for the Rossoneri two years ago, Donnarumma has established himself as the present and the future, for Milan. His performances have led to being declared as the natural successor to his mentor for Italy, Gianluigi Buffon.

After much controversy in the summer over his future, Donnarumma signed a new long-term contract with Milan. His rise with Italy after his debut and his Supercoppa Italiana 2016 success with  Milan makes him a genuine contender for the Golden Boy.

2. Ousmane Dembele

Former Dortmund superstar and the current no.11 at FC Barcelona, Dembele has enjoyed a life-changing few months since his move to the German top-flight. After making his name in Ligue 1 with Stade Rennais, he made the big move to Dortmund in 2016. Under Thomas Tuchel, the Frenchman became a key component of an attacking trio alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus.

Dembele scored 6 goals and made over 12 assists in the Bundesliga last term. In doing so, he became the youngest U-23 to achieve double figures in assists. His performances for Dortmund led to his debut for the French national team. He has since them become a regular in Didier Deschamps‘ squads.

1. Kylian Mbappe

A man who has won numerous plaudits over the past year for his performances for AS Monaco, Mbappe’s reputation as a young and dynamic talent led to him become the subject of numerous bids from the world’s biggest clubs. However, Paris was the destination for him and PSG were ultimately the ones to snap him up on a season-long loan deal. At the end of the season, Mbappe is expected to join the Parisians for a fee of €155m. He scored 15 goals in 29 appearances in Ligue 1 to spearhead Moncao’s domestic triumph over PSG’s dominance. Alongside Radamel Falcao, Mbappe learned plenty from the Colombian hitman.

Now at PSG, Mbappe is part of the world’s most formidable looking trio, alongside Neymar and Edinson Cavani. He looks well settled in Paris and his title triumph with Monaco and a semi-final finish in the UEFA Champions League with Monaco last season makes him the strongest contender for the Golden Boy award.

Author’s Take

The Golden Boy nominees list contains some expected candidates, however, there are also a few candidates whose inclusions has stirred some controversy among pundits and fans on social media. Mbappe is largely considered to be the favorite for the award, the likes of Marcus Rashford and other young English stars haven’t done quite enough to win the award. Despite the fact that seven players got nominated from the Premier League.

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