There are only 3 Serie A representatives out of 40 candidates for the Golden Boy after the latest cutdown. The award goes to the best U-21 player in Europe. Tuttosport organizes the voting, collecting the opinions of 40 international journalists.
The list included 100 players and has been progressively reduced. The remaining Serie A talents still in it are Atalanta’s Roberto Piccoli, Sampdoria’s Mohamed Ihattaren, and Inter’s Roberto Satriano. The previous winners, Erling Haaland, Joao Felix, and Mathijs De Ligt, are no longer eligible.
The publication will announce the final shortlist in mid-October. Piccoli earned a spot with his performances at Spezia. He bagged 5 goals in 20 Serie A matches last season. He has hit the net once in three appearances with Atalanta thus far. Ihattaren has just landed in Italy following a few productive years at PSV. Juventus acquired him and loaned him out to Sampdoria. He was one of the late additions to the pool. Satriano currently rounds out the Inter frontline after impressing in the friendlies and faring well at the youth level.
The three youngsters are not among the favorites for the Golden Boy. They are going against much more established players such as Pedri, who is the frontrunner, Eduardo Camavinga, Eric Garcia, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Giovanni Reyna, and Mason Greenwood. The full list is available here. The last Serie A player to take home the award was Paul Pogba in 2013. Alexandre Pato and Mario Balotelli are also among the previous recipients.