Adeyemi, Saka Make 20-Man Golden Boy Award Shortlist

Karim Adeyemi of Austrian club RB Salzburg and Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka have been included in the 20-man shortlist for the 2021 Golden Boy award.

The Golden Boy award is given to the best performing under-21 footballer in Europe and is voted by sport journalists around the continent.

Adeyemi, 19, born of a Nigerian father and Romanian mother and who has recently been linked with a move to Bayern Munich, has made a sensational start to this season – scoring an outstanding 14 goals in just 18 appearances across all competitions.

Saka has enjoyed a successful year for both club and country, playing a pivotal role in England’s journey to the Euro 2020 final earlier this summer.

The 20-year-old also won the Gunners’ Player of The Season award in the last campaign.

Other exciting young players who made the list are Borussia Dortmund England forward Jude Bellingham, Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood, Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich, and Barcelona’s Pedri.

Also on the list are Daniel Maldini of AC Milan, Real Madrid youngsters Rodrygo and Eduardo Camavinga among others.

Previous Golden Boy winners include Wayne Rooney, Raheem Sterling, Cesc Fabregas and Lionel Messi.

Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland picked up the award last year, beating Ansu Fati (second) and Alphonso Davies (third) in the process.

The winner is set to be announced before the end of the year.

Golden Boy award 20-man shortlist:

Karim Adeyemi (RB Salzburg)

Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)

Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid)

Charles De Ketelaere ( FC Brugge)

Gavi (Barcelona)

Bryan Gil (Tottenham)

Ryan Gravenberch (Ajax)