Barcelona starlet could be a big surprise for Golden Boy Award, suggests co-founder | OneFootball

Jude Bellingham currently leads the votes for the Golden Boy Award 2023, sitting at 50% of the total 13,000+ votes after the fourth round of voting. Jamal Musiala has garnered around 29% of these votes.

Barcelona’s very own Alejandro Balde and Gavi have around 7.5% and 2% of the votes, respectively, with the latter not expected to win, anyway, as the current holder of the award.

While Bellingham is pretty much the favourite to win the award, Golden Boy’s inventor and co-founder Massimo Franchi has commented on a certain Barcelona starlet, who could be the biggest surprise in the future rounds.

When asked who his insider’s tip for the award is, he said, “The biggest surprise could be Lamine Yamal.”

“He is incredible, only 16 years old, born in 2007. He is a regular starter for Barcelona and even plays for the Spanish national team. He has broken records of Pedri, Gavi, and Ansu,” Franchi added.

Yamal had 0.4% of the total one million votes after the third round, and is currently polling at 0.4% in the fourth round with a grand total of 12 votes.

Franchi still thinks that the Spanish youngster will continue to gain prominence as the voting goes on, and could be a dark horse for the award.

Gavi and Pedri were the previous two recipients of the Golden Boy, and should Yamal win it this year, he could be the third Barcelona player in a row to win it consecutively.

The 16-year-old currently plays second fiddle to Raphinha in the team as the right-winger, and is also a part of the national team setup, having scored a goal on his debut against Georgia in a 1-7 win.