Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and on loan defender William Saliba have made it to the final shortlist for the 2021 Golden Boy award.
The Gunners duo are joined in the top 20 alongside Tottenham Hotspur’s Bryan Gil.
It’s a prestigious award that is given to one impressive young footballer playing in Europe.
Each of the three mentioned have enjoyed a successful year in their own right and are fully deserving of the recognition they’ve received.
Saka, who was crowned Arsenal’s Player of the Season last campaign after 51% of fans voted for him to win the award, has made a dream start to his Gunners career, and his performances have earned him a regular place in Gareth Southgate’s England set-up.
Meanwhile, Saliba, who is yet to make a first-team appearance for Arsenal despite signing for the club for £27million two years ago, has been performing fantastically well whilst on loan at Marseille.
On the other hand, Gil hasn’t had too many opportunities to impress from Spurs’ starting line-up thus far, but he’s always looked dangerous when he has played.
Signed in a player-plus-cash deal involving long-term Tottenham servant Erik Lamela in the summer, the Spaniard is destined to be an established first-team regular under Nuno Espirito Santo and is already proving his worth.
However, the trio aren’t the only players from English clubs to have made the shortlist, as Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood is also in the running for top spot.
Nevertheless, Arsenal and Tottenham can put their rivalries aside for a brief moment and appreciate the level of young talent they have in their respective squads.
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The full shortlist of 20 players is as follows:
Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Karim Adeyemi (RB Salzburg/Germany)
Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund/England)
Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid/France)
Charles De Ketelaere (Club Brugge/Belgium)
Gavi (Barcelona/Spain)
Bryan Gil (Tottenham/Spain)
Ryan Gravenberch (Ajax/Netherlands)
Mason Greenwood (Manchester United/England)
Daniel Maldini (AC Milan/Italy)
Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich/Germany)
Nuno Mendes (PSG/Portugal)
Pedri (Barcelona/Spain)
Roberto Piccoli (Atalanta/Italy)
Yeremy Pino (Villarreal/Spain)
Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/USA)
Rodrygo Goes (Real Madrid/Brazil)
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal/England)
William Saliba (Marseille/France)
Jurrien Timber (Ajax)
