Four young Croatian footballers are among the candidates for the prestigious ”Golden Boy” award.
Wonderful recognition for young Croatian footballers, the “Golden Boy” is traditionally awarded by the Italian newspaper Tuttosport to the best young European footballer under the age of 21. The nominated footballers must play in the European nation's top tier, reports Vecernji List on April 5, 2017.
On the list of Croatian candidates are two Dinamo players, midfielder Ante Ćorić (19) and defender Borna Sosa (19), Hajduk’s Nikola Vlašić (19), and Bayern Munich midfielder Fabian Benko (18).
Fabian Benko went through Bayern’s youth system and was invited to play for the Croatian U-21 national team against Sweden last October in the decisive qualification match for this year's European Championships in Poland. While Benko did not end up participating, it is still unknown whether or not he will choose to play for Croatia or Germany.
The biggest favorites for this year's "Golden Boy" award are AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, Monaco striker Kylian Mbappé, and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ousmane Dembele.
Additional newspapers that now participate in voting include Bild (Germany), Blick (Switzerland), A Bola (Portugal), l'Équipe (France), France Football (France), Marca (Spain), Mundo Deportivo (Spain), Ta Nea (Greece), Sport Express (Russia), De Telegraaf (Netherlands), and The Times (United Kingdom).
Last year the award went to the Portuguese Renato Sanches (Bayern), who proved to be excellent during Euro 2016 in France.
Best of luck to our young Croatian footballers!
