Khaberni - Lamine Jamal's name, star of Barcelona and the Spain national team, was not included in the shortlist for the "Golden Boy" award for 2025, despite his exceptional performance last season with his club and national team.
The "Golden Boy" award, given annually by the Italian newspaper "Tuttosport", recognizes the best young football player in Europe under the age of 21.
Lamine Jamal (18 years old) was the runner-up in the 2025 Ballon d'Or award given by "France Football" magazine, the highest individual honor in football.
Considering his ranking in the Ballon d'Or and his exceptional performance, it seemed logical that Lamine Jamal would be one of the top candidates, even an extraordinary candidate to win the "Golden Boy" award this year, which included a list of 25 players.
However, the real reason for Lamine Jamal's absence goes back to a fundamental rule in the award criteria: no player is allowed to win the "Golden Boy" award more than once.
Lamine Jamal had previously won this award in 2024, which means he is not eligible to compete for it this year, regardless of his performance or fame.
Therefore, his absence is not a reflection of his declining performance, but rather a result of the award's rules, which aim to provide opportunities for new young talents every year.
The list of nominees for the award in 2025 included players like Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona), Desirée Doué, Warren Zaire-Emery, and Senny Mayulu (Paris Saint-Germain), Dean Huysen (Real Madrid), Kenan Yildiz (Juventus), Miles Lewis Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal), Arda Güler and Franco Mastantonio (Real Madrid), Juriel Hato and Estevão (Chelsea), Giovanni Queinda (Sporting Lisbon), Lenny Yuro (Manchester United), Nico Orelli (Manchester City), Elias Ben Saghir (Bayer Leverkusen), and Victor Froholt (Porto), Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray (Tottenham), Mamadou Sarr (Strasbourg), Jobe Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter Milan), Rodrigo Mora (Porto), Giovanni Leoni (Liverpool), and Alexander Stankovich (Club Brugge).