Joane Gadou and Kerim Alajbegovic have secured their places among the top 25 nominees for the Golden Boy award, recognizing Europe’s greatest talents, LAOLA1 reported. Both players developed their early careers at Red Bull Salzburg before securing moves to major European leagues, with Gadou transferring to Borussia Dortmund and Alajbegovic joining Italian club Juventus in Serie A.
Talents From Red Bull Salzburg to European Giants
Previous recipients of the accolade include prominent international stars such as Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, Gavi, Pedri, and Désiré Doué. While both Gadou and Alajbegovic spent their developmental years in Salzburg, their current club paths diverge across Germany and Italy as they establish themselves at the highest level of professional football.
Yan Diomande Leads Valuations Among Bundesliga Nominees
Among the nominees recognized in the broader shortlist, Yan Diomande holds the highest market valuation at 120 million euros, according to the sourced reporting. Alongside Gadou, several other players competing in the German Bundesliga earned nominations for the 2026 prize. That group features Lennart Karl of Bayern Munich, Konstantinos Karetsas of Borussia Dortmund, Said El Mala of FC Köln, and Finn Jeltsch of VfB Stuttgart.
International Prospects Join Top 25 Shortlist
The top 25 shortlist features a crowded field of international prospects. Major contenders identified in the selection include Pau Cubarsi of FC Barcelona, Yan Diomande of RB Salzburg, Ayyoub Bouaddi of Manchester City, Estevão of Chelsea, Warren Zaïre-Emery of Paris Saint-Germain, Luka Vušković of Brighton & Hove Albion, Junior Kroupi and Rayan of Bournemouth, and Victor Froholdt of Porto.
The remaining spots on the 25-player list are rounded out by Myles Lewis-Skelly of Arsenal, Endrick of Real Madrid, Gianluca Prestianni of Benfica, Jorrel Hato of Chelsea, Jon Martin of Real Sociedad, Charalampos Kostoulas of Brighton, Franco Mastantuono of Fiorentina, Rodrigo Mora of AS Roma, as well as Marc Bernal and Xavi Espart of Barcelona.
Winner Announcement Timeline
The winner of the Golden Boy award will be officially announced in November, followed by the formal presentation ceremony in December.
Related reading
