Deprived of a double. Already winner of the Kopa trophy, rewarding the best football player under the age of 21 during the 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony, for the second time in a row, Lamine Yamal is now out of the running for another individual distinction.
Indeed, the Spanish crack will not be able to win the Golden Boy 2025. The trophy, created in 2003 by the Italian newspaper
Tuttosport and awarded by sports journalists to the best young player in Europe, does not allow the Barcelonan to compete for another year.
The reason? Yamal already won it last season. However, only one victory is allowed in the regulations. The player is therefore excluded from the votes, even if he appears in the statistical analyses. A detail which opens the door to a new winner, while the newspaper has revealed the list of 25 finalists.
Five French people named
One of the obvious leads leads to Désiré Doué. A big supporter of Paris Saint-Germain's historic season, voted best young player in the 2024-2025 Champions League, player of the match in the final against Inter Milan (5-0 victory) and 14th in the Ballon d'Or, the 20-year-old French international naturally emerges as the favorite.
Be careful not to declare victory too quickly. Other prestigious names complete the list, including Pau Cubarsi (FC Barcelona), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal) and Kenan Yildiz (Juventus). Note the beautiful French presence with five representatives. Besides Désiré Doué,
Tuttosport also selected Warren Zaire-Emery (PSG), Leny Yoro (Manchester United), Mamadou Sarr (RC Strasbourg) and Senny Mayulu (PSG).
