The 25-man shortlist has been announced for the prestigious Golden Boy award including the most notable breakthrough stars of European football over the past 12 months.
The Golden Boy award is given to the player under the age of 20 who has had made the biggest impact in European football in a calendar year and previous winners include Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero, Paul Pogba and a certain Lionel Messi, back in 2005.
Swansea new boy Renato Sanches was the recipient of the award last year after playing a starring role in Portugal’s Euro 2016 success, but who could emulate him in winning the award this year?

Here are the 25 nominees and what you need to know about them.

25. Reece Oxford (Borussia Monchengladbach, on loan from West Ham)
Key stat: Reece Oxford averaged five defensive actions per game for Reading last season.
Of the 25 players nominated, Reece Oxford’s inclusion is by far the most surprising as he has struggled for game time at parent club West Ham as well as in loan spells with Reading and Borussia Monchengladbach.

24. Emre More (Celta Vigo)
Key stat: Emre Mor has completed 6/6 take on attempts for Celta Vigo in La Liga since joining from Borussia Dortmund.
Emre Mor earned a move to Borussia Dortmund last summer after a breakthrough 2015-16 season in Denmark but he found first-team opportunities tough to come by and moved to Celta Vigo in the summer.

23. Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
Key stat: Rodrigo Bentancur has a 93% pass accuracy rate for Juventus in Serie A this season.
A product of Boca Juniors acclaimed academy, Rodrigo Bentancur has been slowly integrated into the Juventus side this season. Accomplished in both central midfield and on the right, the Uruguayan’s versatility will be key in upcoming seasons.

22. Borja Mayoral (Real Madrid)
Key stat: Borja Mayoral scored on his first start since returning to Real Madrid from Wolfsburg in the 3-1 win over Real Sociedad.
Borja Mayoral endured a difficult 2016-17 season with Wolfsburg, scoring twice in 19 league games, but he has effectively taken Alvaro Morata’s place as Real Madrid’s super-sub striker and he has clearly impressed Zinedine Zidane since his return.

21. Joe Gomez (Liverpool)
Key stat: Joe Gomez has won 61% of his overall duels for Liverpool in the Premier League this season.
Joe Gomez has recovered from a serious knee injury to feature prominently for Liverpool at the start of this season at right back, alternating with another talented prospect, Trent Alexander-Arnold.

20. Kyle Walker-Peters (Tottenham)
Key stat: Kyle Walker-Peters completed 91% of his passes on his Premier League debut for Tottenham against Newcastle.
The signing of Serge Aurier has pushed Kyle Walker-Peters down the pecking order at Spurs but he looks to have bright future following a promising debut appearance. He was part of England’s victorious U20 squad this summer.

19. Steven Bergwijn (PSV)
Key stat: Steven Bergwijn has been PSV’s joint-highest creative player in the Eredivisie this season with 12 chances created.
A talented young winger who has been tipped to emulate Memphis Depay at PSV, Steven Bergwijn is a regular fixture in the first-team and for Netherlands’ U21 side.

18. Enes Unal (Villarreal)
Key stat: Enes Unal scored more goals (18) than any other player U23 player in the Eredivisie last season.
With first-team opportunities blocked at Manchester City, Enes Unal headed out to FC Twente on loan last season and he excelled in Holland scoring 18 times in 32 matches. A permanent move to Villarreal followed and he has so far managed one La Liga strike.

17. Jean-Kevin Augustin (RB Leipzig)
Key stat: Jean-Kevin Augustin has been directly involved in three goals in his first three league starts for RB Leipzig (1 goal, 2 assists).
Breaking through at PSG will become even harder following their recent high-profile acquisitions and Jean-Kevin Augustin made the decision to move to RB Leipzig in the summer. It looks an inspired decision as he’s quickly become a key player for his new side.

16. Dominic Solanke (Liverpool)
Key stat: Dominic Solanke scored more goals (4) than any other English player at the U20 World Cup.
Dominic Solanke’s excellent form for England at the U20 World Cup was rewarded with the Golden Ball award given to the best player at the tournament and he has delivered some promising cameo appearances for Liverpool since joining from Chelsea.

15. Allan Saint-Maximin (OGC Nice)
Key stat: Allan Saint-Maximin completed more take-ons (144) than any other player in Ligue 1 last season.
Despite playing for Bastia who suffered relegation from Ligue 1 last season, Allan Saint-Maximin caught the eye with his scintillating performances on the wing. Nice were clearly impressed, snapping him up on a permanent basis from Monaco in August.

14. Aaron Martin (Espanyol)
Key stat: Aaron Martin made more interceptions (50) and more tackles (69) than any other U21 full back in LaLiga last season.
One of the lesser-known players on the shortlist, Aaron Martin is a deserving candidate nevertheless having established himself as a regular starter for Espanyol over the past year. Consistent and good going forward, he’s been tipped to move to a bigger club before long.

13. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)
Key stat: Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the first England player to score in a World Cup final for England since Geoff Hurst in 1966.
Solanke might have top-scored and won the Golden Ball but it was Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s strike that secured a historic World Cup win for England against Venezuela. At club level, he’s made great strides for Everton, featuring in all five of their league games this season.

12. Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina)
Key stat: Federico Chiesa recorded more assists (2) than any other Italy player at the U21 European Championships.
The son of serial goalscorer Enrico, Federico Chiesa burst onto the scene for Fiorentina at the start of 2016-17 and has blossomed into one of their most exciting attackers. He’ll be tasked with filling the void left by Federico Bernardeschi who joined Juventus.

11. Theo Hernandez (Real Madrid)
Key stat: Theo Hernandez completed more take-ons (65) than any other U23 defender in Europe’s top 5 leagues last season.
One of few players to make a direct switch from one Madrid club to another, Theo Hernandez moved from Atletico to Real following a spectacular loan spell with Alaves. Outstanding going forward from left back, Theo is the perfect long-term heir to Marcelo.

10. Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan)
Key stat: Gianluigi Donnarumma made more saves in Serie A last season (147) than any other goalkeeper.
Far and away the best young goalkeeper in world football, Gianluigi Donnarumma has remarkably been Milan’s starting shot-stopper since the age of 16. Milan have virtually changed their entire side this season but Donnarumma’s position was never questioned.

9. Benjamin Henrichs (Bayer Leverkusen)
Key stat: Benjamin Henrichs more successful tackles (25) than any other defender in the Champions League last season.
Bayer Leverkusen had a tough season but the emergence of Benjamin Henrichs was a huge positive. The tough-tackling defender adapted seamlessly to playing at first-team level and is now a fully fledged senior international for Germany.

8. Amadou Diawara (Napoli)
Key stat: Amadou Diawara made more passes per-90 (76.32) than any other U23 player in Serie A last season, at a 90% pass accuracy rate.
Few players have enjoyed as meteoric a rise as Amadou Diawara in recent years. The defensive midfielder was playing for San Marino in Italy’s fourth-tier just two years ago but is now a key cog in one of Europe’s most exciting and balanced teams.

7. Youri Tielemans (Monaco)
Key stat: Youri Tielemans was directly involved in 30 goals in 53 games across all competitions in 2016/17 (18 goals, 12 assists).
Anderlecht’s star man during their Belgian Pro League title win, Youri Tielemans was named the Player of the Year in Belgium and sealed a move to Monaco shortly after. He netted his first goal for the club in their 1-1 draw against RB Leipzig in the Champions League.

6. Kasper Dolberg (Ajax)
Key stat: Kasper Dolberg scored more goals (23) across all competitions last season than any other Ajax player.
Ajax reached their first European final for over two decades last season and Kasper Dolberg played a significant role in their run, leading the line superbly in his first full season in senior football. He’ll be hoping to advance his game further alongside Klaas Jan Huntelaar.

5. Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund)
Key stat: Christian Pulisic is the youngest non-German and fourth-youngest player to score in the Bundesliga (April 17, 2016 vs Hamburg).
The most exciting American footballer since Landon Donovan, Christian Pulisic’s electric displays on the right wing for Dortmund have been so good that Ousmane Dembele might not even be that sorely missed.

4. Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
Key stat: Gabriel Jesus has scored a Premier League goal once every 89 minutes since joining Manchester City.
Many top players take a while to get to grips to the Premier League but Gabriel Jesus has hit the ground running at Manchester City, immediately impressing with his goalscoring prowess and technical qualities.

3. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
Key stat: Marcus Rashford has scored on his debut in the: Premier League, Champions League, Europa League and EFL Cup.
There were fears that Marcus Rashford would lose his way under Jose Mourinho, but on the contrary, he has continued his rapid ascent, becoming a key member of Manchester United’s attack. He’s taken it in turns to rotate with former Golden Boy winner Anthony Martial.

2. Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
Key stat: Ousmane Dembele has completed the most take-ons completed in the Bundesliga last season (103) and registered more assists than any other U21 player in Europe’s top leagues last season (12).
Following a whirlwind 18-months in professional football, Ousmane Dembele now has the tag of the second most expensive footballer of all-time following his incredible move to Barcelona. A sensational, two-footed winger, the Frenchman has an enormous future.

1. Kylian Mbappe (Monaco)
Key stat: Mbappe was directly involved in more goals than any Monaco player across all competitions last season (26 goals, 11 assists)
There is some incredible competition for the award this year but it would be a major surprise if Kylian Mbappe didn’t win this award considering the year he’s had. Mbappe was one of Monaco’s stars as they won Ligue 1 and reached the Champions League semi-finals and he will usurp Dembele as the second-most expensive footballer of all-time when his loan move to PSG becomes permanent next summer.

Who do you think is the best U21 player. Lets have your comments below