As reported by Francesc Aguilar on Twitter, Barcelona midfield sensation Gavi has emerged as one of the biggest favourites to win the 2022 Golden Boy Award.
The prestigious award, presented by Italian publication Tuttosport, is handed to the most impressive footballer under the age of 21 in a calendar year.
Legends of the game like Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero are some of the recipients of the honour.
In recent years, superstars such as Kylian Mbappe, Matthijs de Ligt and Erling Haaland have won the Golden Boy award, while last year, Barcelona’s own Pedri was chosen for the prize after he enjoyed an exceptional 2021.
The list of nominees for the 2022 edition of the award was recently revealed and as many as five Barcelona players have made the cut.
Indeed, Pedri, Gavi, Nico Gonzalez, Ansu Fati and Alejandro Balde have been nominated for the prestigious award, along with 95 other players including Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Karim Adeyemi, Jamal Musiala and Piero Hincapie, among others.
Gavi is a product of Barcelona’s La Masia youth setup. The 17-year-old enjoyed a spectacular breakthrough campaign with the Catalans in 2021/22 as he became a mainstay in the centre of the park and played a key role in the club finishing second in La Liga.
The midfielder has also become a regular in the Spanish national team and impressed heavily in the UEFA Nations League matches that La Roja played earlier this month.
Gavi has been in the news due to his contract situation at Barcelona. The midfield prodigy’s current deal stands to expire in 2023.
However, after protracted negotiations, the teenager is poised to ink a new deal with the Blaugrana, putting the speculations over his future to rest.