Three with Portuguese links make Golden Boy final 25
The race to name Europe's best footballer under 21 has narrowed to 25 names, with three players tied to Portuguese football among the finalists. The organizer, Italian newspaper Tuttosport, released the shortlist on Monday, setting up a vote by 50 international journalists with a winner to be announced in November.
Victor Froholdt of FC Porto ranks highest among the Portugal-based contenders in seventh place. The Danish midfielder, 20, arrives as a cornerstone of Porto's domestic title win last season, a campaign that also saw him named the Liga Portugal's Best Young Player. Gianluca Prestianni of SL Benfica joins him in 15th place, the Argentine winger having established himself as a regular starter in Lisbon.
A third name carries Portuguese nationality: Rodrigo Mora enters as a wild card. The 19-year-old forward, a product of Porto's academy, appears on the list representing his new club, AS Roma, following a summer transfer to Italy.
The favourites and the fallen
Pau Cubarsí of Barcelona leads the voting at this stage. The Spanish defender, 19, bolstered his case by winning the World Cup with Spain in 2024, collecting the tournament's Best Young Player award. Manchester City midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who starred for Morocco at the same World Cup, completes the top three.
Lamine Yamal, last year's winner, ranks second but is ineligible to retain the trophy under rules that prevent consecutive wins.
The cut from the previous list of 100 candidates eliminated several names from the Portuguese sphere. Three Porto players — William Gomes, Oskar Pietuszewski and Martim Fernandes — dropped out. So did Sporting midfielder João Simões and Bastien Meupiyou of Alverca. Portuguese players abroad also fell short: Geovany Quenda of Chelsea and Diogo Sousa of RC Strasbourg failed to reach the final 25.
Porto system yields recognition
FC Porto initially placed five players on the long list of 100, a reflection of a strategy that has shifted under president André Villas-Boas. The club is building a new academy in the Maia municipality, a €40M project designed to tighten the link between youth development and the first team.
Froholdt's league statistics back his high placement. Over 34 games last season, the midfielder scored six goals, provided five assists and won 107 ball recoveries — numbers that show the two-way impact modern scouts reward.
The Bridge, a youth development study centre run by the club, notes that Porto has a tradition of promotion, but the current leadership insists new infrastructure will make the pathway more reliable.
Past winners as a warning?
Portugal has produced two Golden Boy winners: Renato Sanches in 2015 and João Félix in 2019. Both later struggled to meet the expectations their awards created.
Sanches, now without a club at 29, has battled injuries across spells at Bayern Munich, Lille and PSG. Félix, now at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, found his progress stalled at Atlético Madrid, where supporters and analysts argued his attacking style clashed with the coach's defensive approach.
Froholdt and Prestianni, both 20, face a different landscape. Froholdt has avoided the serious injuries that hobbled Sanches, while Prestianni has already won a starting role in the Liga Portugal. How they adapt if larger clubs come calling — and whether their games fit those systems — will decide if they follow the trajectory of Ronaldo, a former winner who exceeded expectations, or the paths of compatriots who found the next step harder to navigate.
