Overtook Yamal and Garnacho. An unexpected contender for the Golden Boy Web award has emerged

Every year, the Italian publication Tuttosport awards the best young player with the Golden Boy award. According to the criteria, the footballer must be under 21 years old and play in the top division of one of the European leagues.

In addition to the Golden Boy award, there is a parallel prize called the Golden Boy Web. Unlike the main award, the winner here is determined by the fans. Tuttosport has identified a list of 100 players and will release them in batches of 20 at intervals until October.

This week, the first round of voting began. Among the first twenty is Barcelona and Spain star forward Lamine Yamal, who had an excellent season both at the club and at Euro 2024, securing a place in the team at the age of 16. Also on the list is Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United, whose goal was recognized as the best in the Premier League last season. Additionally, his teammate Kobbie Mainoo, who received a call-up to the England squad for Euro 2024 and earned a place in the starting lineup, is included.

However, at the moment, these players are not leading the vote. With a significant lead in the first round is Max Finkgräfe, a defender from German club Köln. The German had a solid season, moving from the reserve team to the main squad and securing a starting position.

As of this news, he has received votes from 24,704 fans out of 63,732 voters, which accounts for 38.8%. Lamine Yamal has 19.0%, Garnacho has 10.0%, and Mainoo has 12%.

The Golden Boy Web award has been given since 2018, and during this period, fan opinions have coincided with expert opinions only once. Last year, both the Golden Boy and Golden Boy Web awards went to Jude Bellingham. Previously, fans favored Nicola Zalewski (2022), Karim Adeyemi (2021), Ansu Fati (2020), Matteo Guendouzi (2019), and Justin Kluivert (2018).

Please note that you can view the results and cast your vote by following the link.