As many as 22 Bundesliga professionals can hope for the “Golden Boy” award in 2022. In the previous year, the Bundesliga went away empty-handed.
The “Tuttosport” award annually selects the best U-21 player. On Wednesday, the Italian sports newspaper published its list of 100 finalists – including 22 professionals from Bundesliga clubs.
Borussia Dortmund has the largest block of players with five professionals, but also includes summer additions Karim Adeyemi (RB Salzburg) and Jayden Braaf (Manchester City). Four players from FC Bayern are listed, including summer transfer Ryan Gravenberch (Ajax Amsterdam).
Last year’s tenth-placed Gladbach (with Luca Netz and Joe Scally) and eleventh-placed Eintracht Frankfurt (with Ansgar Knauff) are also represented.
So far, three Bundesliga professionals have won the coveted trophy: Mario Götze in 2011, Renato Sanches in 2016 and Erling Haaland in 2020, with the latest winner being Barça’s top talent Pedri.
These 22 professionals are nominated:
- Karim Adeyemi (Borussia Dortmund)
- Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)
- Jayden Braaf (Borussia Dortmund)
- Youssoufa Moukoko (Borussia Dortmund)
- Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund)
- Brian Brobbey (RB Leipzig)
- Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig)
- Ilaix Moriba (RB Leipzig)
- Ryan Gravenberch (FC Bayern Munich)
- Jamal Musiala (FC Bayern München)
- Malik Tillman (FC Bayern München)
- Tanguy Nianzou (FC Bayern München)
- Luca Netz (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
- Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
- Piero Hincapie (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
- Adam Hlozek (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
- Jakub Kaminski (VfL Wolfsburg)
- Aster Vranckx (VfL Wolfsburg)
- Ansgar Knauff (Eintracht Frankfurt)
- Georginio Rutter (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim)
- Jan Thielmann (1. FC Köln)
- Tiago Tomas (VfB Stuttgart)