Official: Five Barcelona players have been nominated for the Golden Boy award in 2022
The Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport has nominated five Barcelona players for the 2022 Golden Boy award: Pedri, Gavi, Ansu Fati, Nico Gonzalez, and Alejandro Balde.
Although there is no rule that prohibits a player from receiving this award more than once, Tuttosport head Massimo Franchi has stated that the usual tradition is to name a new winner each year.
"The philosophy is to launch one new face every year," Massimo Franchi explained.
The Golden Boy award is an annual honor that has been given since 2003. Rafael van der Vaart, a former Netherlands international, was the first recipient, and Barcelona midfielder Pedri is the current holder.
He is only the second Barcelona to have received the award after Lionel Messi in 2005. Furthermore, he is only the third Spanish international to receive the honor, following Cesc Fabregas and Isco.
Pedri's game time was rather limited this season, compared to the previous season, when he made more than 70 appearances for club and country, with the young midfielder only managing 22 appearances for Barcelona across all competitions. That, however, was only the beginning of his injury woes.
In its brief history, the Golden Boy award has gone to as many as ten forwards, eight midfielders, and one defender.
As has become customary, this year's list includes 100 players under the age of 21. Karim Adeyemi, Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, and Ryan Gravenberch are among those involved.
Surprisingly, the only criteria for the players to qualify for the shortlist is to play in Europe’s top-tier football competition.
Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund have the most players on the shortlist, each with five. Bayern Munich has four, while Premier League heavyweights Liverpool, Manchester United, and Serie A side Roma each have three.
Five FC Barcelona players are among the 100 nominees for the Golden Boy award in 2022: Pedri, Gavi, Nico, Ansu Fati, and Baldé. Tuttosport, the magazine in charge of the award, announced the initial shortlist of the top 100 players under the age of 21 on Wednesday.
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