From Bellingham to Xavi Simons, 5 Favourites to Win the 2023 Golden Boy Award

• The finalists for the 2023 Golden Boy Award have recently been announced
• Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musialal are among the biggest names on the list
• Sports Brief looks at the five favourites expected to win the prize this year

In the past few seasons, we have seen some talented footballers across Europe come through the ranks to make their mark on football. The new generation is taking over across European football.

The finalists for the 2023 Golden Boy Award were announced on Thursday, October 12, with Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala, and Xavi Simons the top names on the list.

The Golden Boy Award, given out each year by Italian outlet Tuttosport, rewards the best under-21 player in Europe.

Barcelona wonderkid, Gavi won the award last year, while his compatriot and club teammate, Pedri won the 2021 award. Gavi is missing from this year's nominees.

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A list of 100 players is usually announced before it is cut to 80, 60, 40, and finally 20. Votes from journalists from Europe's biggest media organisations will determine the winner of the award.

Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Raheem Sterling, and Wayne Rooney have won the award before. Sports Brief looks at the favourites to win the award.

5 favourites to win 2023 Golden Boy Award

5. Alejandro Balde - Barcelona

After Jordi Alba left Barcelona after 11 years in June, it felt like the Spanish giants would struggle to replace him. However, La Masia graduate, Alejandro Balde stepped up and became a key player under Xavi Hernandez. He played 44 times last season and is always the first name on the team sheet.

He has a good chance of winning the 2023 Golden Boy Award, but the winner will probably come from the top two on this list.

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4. Antonio Silva - Benfica

Benfica have a reputation for producing the best talents in Europe, and Silva is one of them. The 19-year-old centre-back is a key player for the Portuguese giants and is reportedly attracting interest from top clubs in Europe. He made 46 appearances for Benfica last season and helped his team beat FC Porto to the title.

3. Xavi Simons - RB Leipzig

Simons is on loan at RB Leipzig from PSG and is enjoying a dream start in Germany. He played 48 games for PSV Eindhoven last season and scored 22 goals, per Transfermarkt. He was in the books of Barcelona and is highly rated and was also a key target for many top clubs in Europe before PSG signed him.

2. Jamal Musiala - Bayern Munich

Musiala's goal won Bayern their 11th successive Bundesliga title last season and he is an important payer for club and country, scoring 12 times and grabbing 13 assists in the Bundesliga last season. The 20-year-old also impressed at the 2022 World Cup for Germany despite their early exit. He will challenge the number one player on this list.

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1. Jude Bellingham - Real Madrid

The Englishman has the world at his feet. He has scored an incredible 10 goals so far this season, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo's record at Real Madrid. There's a high chance he might win this award because he is probably one of the best players in the world in his current form.

Bellingham breaks Ronaldo record

Sports Brief earlier reported on Bellingham breaking Ronaldo's La Liga record after scoring a brace for Real Madrid against Osasuna on October 7.

By scoring a brace, he has now scored eight La Liga games in his first eight appearances, compared to seven in eight from the club's biggest name.

Bellingham has now scored 10 goals in 10 appearances this season following his big-money move to the Spanish giants from Borussia Dortmund.