The 40 nominees for the coveted European Golden Boy award have been announced.
The Golden Boy award is one of the most prestigious accolades that can be bestowed on a young player – voted for by journalists, it picks out the finest player Under 21 in Europe, with past winners including Paul Pogba, Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi.
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The shortlist for this year’s award has been announced, and you can see all 40 nominees by flicking through the pages below. Will a Premier League star earn the honour of being Europe’s finest young player?
Nabil Bentaleb (Tottenham Hotspur) – The young Algerian midfielder had a good World Cup and has broken into the Spurs first team.
Oliver Torres (Atletico Madrid) – Torres is likely to be at the heart of Diego Simeone’s rebuild in the Spanish capital.
Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo) – Young Italian striker Berardi had a fine first season in Serie A, helping to keep minnows Sassuolo in the top flight.
Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina) – Another young Serie A star, Bernardeschi had an impressive season on loan at Crotone.
Adnan Januzaj (Manchester United) – Belgian winger Adnan Januzaj had a fine breakthrough season for United, earning his place in the Belgium side.
Bruma (Galatasaray) – Another flying winger, Portuguese star Bruma has been linked with a host of top European clubs on account of his form in Turkey.
Calum Chambers (Arsenal) – The huge potential of right back Chambers persuaded the Gunners to shell out £16m to Southampton.
Kingsley Coman (Juventus) – Juventus snapped up young midfielder Kingsley Coman from PSG and will hope for a Pogba-like impact.
Hakan Calhanoglu (Bayer Leverkusen) – Ambitious Bundesliga outfit Bayer pulled off quite a coup in signing playmaker Calhanoglu on the back of a fine season for Hamburg.
Gerard Deulofeu (Barcelona) – Spain Under 21 international Deulofeu had a real impact on loan at Everton last season and is doing the same at Sevilla.
Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur) – Dier caught the eye with goals in his first two appearances for Spurs after signing from Sporting Lisbon.
Gianluca Gaudino (Bayern Munich) – He may only have three senior appearances for Bayern Munich, but a lot is expected of Gaudino at the Allianz Arena.
Matthias Ginter (Borussia Dortmund) – Centre back Ginter’s displays for Freiburg last season earned him a big move to Dortmund.
Derlis Gonzalez (FC Basel) – Already a Paraguayan international, Gonzalez has started well in Switzerland since arriving from Benfica.
Julian Green (Bayern Munich) – Green’s displays at the World Cup for the USA caught the eye and he now has the chance to impress on loan at Hamburg.
Pierre Hojbjerg (Bayern Munich) – Yet another relatively unknown Bayern youngster, 19 year-old Danish midfielder Hojbjerg is a real talent.
Keita Balde Diao (Lazio) – Balde’s displays for Lazio have already seen him linked with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool.
Mateo Kovacic (Inter Milan) – Started for Croatia at the World Cup and has now been given real creative licence by Walter Mazzarri at the San Siro.
Lazar Markovic (Liverpool)– Serbian winger Markovic is nominated more for his displays for Benfica than at Liverpool thus far.
Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao) – Centre back Laporte is expected to be the next big money departure from Basque side Athletic Club.
Marquinhos (Paris Saint Germain) – Brazilian centre back Marquinhos is perhaps the finest young defender on the planet and a future great.
Benjamin Mendy (Olympique Marseille) – Mendy has been one of a number of players to help Marcelo Bielsa take Marseille to the top of Ligue 1.
Max Meyer (FC Schalke 04) – Schalke youngster Max Meyer is already a key player for the club and one of the best young midfielders on the planet.
Arkadiusz Milik (Ajax) – Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik is already a full international and an important player for Frank de Boer’s Ajax.
Munir El Haddadi (Barcelona) – Munir already has a full cap for Spain and has done a fine job filling in for the suspended Luis Suarez at the Nou Camp.
Aleks Mitrovic (Anderlecht) – It is only a matter of time before impressive forward Mitrovic moves on from Belgian football.
Lucas Ocampos (AS Monaco) – Young Argentina forward Ocampos is now the main man at AS Monaco following the departures of James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao.
Saúl (Atletico Madrid) – Another young Spaniard to make the list and a player who Diego Simeone will look to build his new team around.
Divock Origi (Liverpool) – Featured for Belgium at the World Cup before being snapped up by Liverpool this summer, but allowed to continue his development on loan at Lille.
Nikola Ninkovic (Partizan Belgrade) – One of a number of exciting young Serbians around currently, Ninkovic is likely to get his move from Partizan soon.
Dennis Praet (Anderlecht) – Praet was particularly impressive against Arsenal recently and is a crucial part of an exciting young Anderlecht team.
Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint Germain) – Rabiot seems to be a target for half of Europe’s major clubs as contract talks at PSG continue to stall.
Luke Shaw (Manchester United) – Luke Shaw’s performances in an impressive Southampton side last season persuaded United to make him the world’s most expensive teenager.
Sandro Ramirez (Barcelona) – Is being given opportunities by new Barca manager Luis Enrique and is one of the players who represent the future of the club.
Raheem Sterling (Liverpool) – Flying winger Sterling is now a key player for club and country and a genuine contender to win the award.
Tonny Vilhena (Feyenoord) – There is a lack of Dutch nominees this year, but Feyenoord youngster Vilhena does make it in.
John Stones (Everton) – The Everton defender has come a long way from his teenage years at Barnsley and is now a full international.
Jetro Willems (PSV Eindhoven) – Joins Milik and Vilhena in making the list from the Eredivisie, but is unlikely to be there for long.
Kurt Zouma (Chelsea) – The Blues spent big to sign powerful young defender Kurt Zouma from St. Etienne, installing him as the future of their defence.
Luka Zahovic (Maribor) – The performances of Zahovic have helped Maribor into the Champions League group stages – a big move from Slovenian football beckons.