Thursday, 29 September 2016

Rashford, Iwobi, Sanches, Sane and Alli in the running to become Golden Boy

Renato Sanches impressed at Euro 2016 for Portugal and is in the running to win the Golden Boy award.
Some of the biggest rising stars in world football are in contention for the Golden Boy prize, but who should take the crown?

The prestigious award, with past winners including Lionel Messi and Paul Pogba, was established by Tuttosport in 2003 and is voted for by journalists from 30 European newspapers. All nominees must be under 21, play in the top tier in a European league and can only be included if they haven't won before.
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford joins the likes of Bayern Munich's Renato Sanches and Tottenham's Dele Alli in the running.
Here, ESPN FC's club correspondents discuss the case for their club's contender and you can vote on your Golden Boy from our nine-man shortlist below.
BAYERN MUNICH: If the prize is awarded on form at Euro 2016, there's only one winner: Sanches. The 19-year-old midfielder caught the eye with a series of scintillating performances, driving Portugal all the way to the title. Honourable mention should also be given to Frenchman Kingsley Coman, who made a total of 35 appearances in his double-winning debut season with the Bavarians, scoring six and laying on a further 12 goals under Pep Guardiola. He also impressed for France at Euro 2016 and Carlo Ancelotti is no stranger to the winger's talents either, having handed him his league debut in 2013. At PSG, the Italian coach threw Coman into the Ligue 1 fray at the tender age of 16, eight months and four days, making him the youngest ever player in the club's history at the time. -- Mark Lovell
1. Renato Sanches 2. Marcus Rashford 3. Kingsley Coman
MAN UNITED: Rashford has made one of the most stunning, fearless and clinical starts to a career imaginable in a top European league. His lively pace, mature reading of the game and instinctive eye for goal have brought incredible results so far. The 18-year-old started with a bang, scoring twice on his competitive United debut then twice on his Premier League debut. The meteoric rise continued -- including a derby winner against Manchester City last season -- before he netted on his England debut and played at Euro 2016. Rashford has also started this season impressively under new United manager Jose Mourinho, but Sanches' exploits for Portugal may swing it in his favour. -- Arindam Rej
1. Renato Sanches 2. Marcus Rashford 3. Kingsley Coman
TOTTENHAM: Since joining Tottenham from League One MK Dons, Alli has taken the Premier League, international football and now the Champions League in his stride, rising emphatically to every new challenge. At 20, he is a key player for Mauricio Pochettino's impressive Spurs side, and trusted to play two or three positions. There is no young midfielder in Europe who is more complete right now, but Sanches may be the judges' choice considering Portugal's win at Euro 2016. -- Dan Kilpatrick
1. Renato Sanches 2. Dele Alli 3. Marcus Rashford
MAN CITY: Kelechi Iheanacho burst on to the scene in September 2015 with a last-minute winner at Crystal Palace and the City forward didn't look back. He finished the season with 14 goals in 35 appearances -- averaging a goal every 85.5 minutes, making him one of the most prolific strikers in Europe. The 19-year-old made his debut for Nigeria last November and has scored in each of his past three matches for his country. New City boss Guardiola has already shown his belief in Iheanacho by allowing £28 million man Wilfried Bony to leave the club on loan. Guardiola has placed his faith in his young Nigerian and has been rewarded considerably, with Iheanacho scoring in the 2-1 win at Manchester United on Sep.10. His and Leroy Sane's time might not be quite yet, but both have hopes for the future. -- Jonathan Smith
1. Kingsley Coman 2. Renato Sanches 3. Dele Alli

ARSENAL: Alex Iwobi's rise has been remarkable even at a club that prides itself on giving young talents a chance to break through. He is the most exciting talent to come out of Arsenal's Hale End academy since Jack Wilshere, and has a blend of size, strength, technique and vision that makes him a unique prospect. But so far his main contribution at Arsenal is making players around him better, rather than deciding games on his own, so in that sense the Golden Boy award seems a bit premature. When Iwobi starts adding more goals to his game, he'll truly be a force to be reckoned with. -- Mattias Karen
1. Kingsley Coman 2. Kelechi Iheanacho 3. Marcus Rashford
BORUSSIA DORTMUND: The likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid were all after Dembele, 19, in the summer. Now, the 2015-16 Ligue 1 player of the year has made his way into Dortmund's starting XI. Dembele is still raw but BVB coach Thomas Tuchel doesn't want pass on his enormous skill and potential, which enables the former Rennes teen to dribble past opponents with ease. Mario Gotze won this award in 2011 and Dembele could be BVB's second Golden Boy winner in the next five years. -- Stefan Buczko
1. Mahmoud Dahoud 2. Marcus Rashford 3. Ousmane Dembele
AC MILAN: After breaking into the AC Milan side last October, 2016 has seen Gianluigi Donnarumma continue to justify the hype, establish himself as the first-choice goalkeeper at the club and earn his first Italy cap, all at just 17 years of age. Decisive interventions, a level of consistency more often paired with experienced veterans coupled with a calmness and maturity well beyond his years, he's more than deserving of the accolade having emerged as one of the stand-out young stars this year.
1. Gianluigi Donnarumma 2. Marcus Rashford 3. Renato Sanches
Who is the Golden Boy?
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