Up to nine Spanish footballers compete for the Golden Boy 2021. The award for best footballer under 21 years of age has been awarded since 2003 by the Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport. Today is the first voting day of the 100 candidate players to replace Haaland as Golden Boy 2021.
Ander Barrenetxea (Real society); German Valera (Atlético de Madrid); Adrian Barnabas (Manchester City); Bryan gil (Seville); Miguel Gutierrez (Real Madrid); Pedri, Ilaix Moriba and Eric García (Barcelona) and Yéremi Pino (Villarreal) are the Spanish candidates to get the third award for Spain after those of Cesc Fabregas, in 2006, and that of Isco Alarcon (2012).
They are not the only ones known for Spanish football. There are up to six 'Spaniards' in the long list of candidates for the award. Rodrygo, Reinier and Kubo (Real Madrid); Kang-in Lee and Musah (Valencia) and the Brazilian recently signed by Atlético del Fluminense, Mark Paulo. The great absence is that of Ansu Fati But the footballer of the culé team has not stepped on a pitch since November 2020.
Haaland was the clear winner in the last edition (ahead of Ansu Fati specifically) and in this 2021 there are several favorites for the Golden Boy. One of the loudest is the Spanish international Pedri. He is not the only one who aspires with many possibilities to the golden ball. Jamal musiala (Bayern Munich), Camavinga (Rennes); Belllingham (Borussia Dortmund); Gravenbeerch (Ajax); Nuno mendes (Sporting de Portugal); Saka (Arsenal); Greenwood (Manchester United) and Wirtz (Leverkusen) with Pedri's great opponents.
The long list will be gradually reduced from twenty to twenty until it is reduced to the final 20, on October 15. Tuttosport will hold a gala at the end of autumn in which it will reveal the winner of the award for best footballer (born after January 1, 2001) registered with a European club.
Winners list
-2003: Van der Vaart (Ajax)
-2004: Rooney (Manchester United)
-2005: Messi (Barcelona)
-2006: Cesc Fàbregas (Arsenal)
-2007: Agüero (Athletic)
-2008: Anderson (Manchester United)
-2009: Duck (Milan)
-2010: Balotelli (Manchester City)
-2011: Götze (Borussia Dortmund)
-2012: Isco (Malaga)
-2013: Pogba (Juventus)
-2014: Sterling (Liverpool)
-2015: Martial (Manchester United)
-2016: Renato Sanches (Bayern Munich)
-2017: Mbappé (PSG)
-2018: De Ligt (Ajax)
-2019: João Félix (Athletic)
-2020: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)