Real Madrid starlet makes it into the top 20 finalists for Golden Boy 2024 | OneFootball

Real Madrid’s rising star Arda Guler has secured a place among the top 20 finalists for the prestigious Golden Boy award, recognizing Europe’s best young footballer under 21.

The Turkish prodigy joined Los Blancos in a high-profile move last year and endured a difficult start to life in Spain having missed the entire first half of the last season through injuries.

But he ended the campaign on a strong note, scoring some important goals as Real Madrid won three trophies.

Guler continued to impress with Turkey during the UEFA Euro 2024 as well, all of which have earned him a spot in the Golden Boy Top 20 finalists.

Guler ranks 16th in the ‘Golden Boy Football Benchmark’ with a score of 78.9. This index, based on performances since October last year, places him in esteemed company among Europe’s most promising talents.

While Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal leads the rankings with 94.6 points, followed by Joao Neves (93.0), PSG’s Warren Zaire-Emery (90.8), and Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho (89.5),

Adding to Real Madrid’s representation, Brazilian wonderkid Endrick, who joined the club this summer, features on the final nominees list as one of five wildcard nominations.

The final decision will combine the benchmark scores with votes from 50 expert journalists, leaving room for potential surprises in the final standings.