Tottenham-reared winger of Nigerian descent makes 40-man Golden Boy shortlist

Published: September 16, 2021

Tottenham Hotspur-reared winger of Nigerian descent Nonso Madueke is in contention for the prestigious Golden Boy, an award which is given to the calendar year's best European-based player under the age of 21.

Only forty players are left in the updated list published by Italian sports daily Tuttosport on Thursday, with the PSV Eindhoven teenage sensation the only Nigeria-eligible player making the cut.

Red Bull Salzburg striker Karim Adeyemi is among the 40 players who remain from the original selection of 100 but he is not eligible to represent the Super Eagles for the time being after making his competitive debut for Germany's senior team this month.

Arsenal's England winger Bukayo Saka and Bayern Munich's Germany attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala have made the cut but are cap-tied to their counties of birth.

England U21 international Folarin Balogun and Chelsea loanee Faustino Anjorin, who were in the top 100, did not make it to the top 40 candidates.

Madueke has started the season brightly, registering six goals and one assist in eleven appearances across all competitions for PSV but has a fight on his hands to win the Golden Boy.

Barcelona's Pedri, Manchester United's Mason Greenwood and Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga are among the leading candidates for the award.

The last four Golden Boy winners were Erling Haaland (2020),João Félix (2019), Matthijs de Ligt (2018) and Kylian Mbappé (2017).

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit : psv.nl

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