Paris Saint-Germain’s Warren Zaïre-Emery (17) and Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel (18) are two of four French finalists for the Golden Boy award.
Zaïre-Emery broke into the PSG squad last season and despite a change of manager and further recruitment in the midfield area, the Frenchman has consolidated his place in the starting XI. He was recently elected captain of the France U21 side, whilst Les Bleus manager Didier Deschamps said he is already in consideration for a senior call-up.
Another player who is knocking on the door of the France national team is former Stade Rennais forward Tel. Despite sitting behind Harry Kane in the pecking order at Bayern Munich, the Frenchman has six goals in just 318 minutes on the pitch. Whilst Deschamps said that he is further away from a senior call-up than Zaïre-Emery, Tel has been impressive, and his form has been rewarded by a Golden Boy nomination.
As well as Zaïre-Emery and Tel, Red Bull Salzburg’s Lucas Gourna-Douath and RC Lens’ Andy Diouf have also made the final 25-player shortlist. The latter impressed for FC Basel last season before securing a return to Ligue 1. The award is given to the “best” under-21 player in Europe. Barcelona’s Gavi is the current holder of the award.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
