Golden Boy and Girl: English stars Michelle Agyemang, Nico O’Reilly and Estevao were nominated

England striker Michelle Agyemang and nine other Premier League stars are competing for awards honoring the best young players in Europe.

Agyemang has been nominated for the Golden Girl award, while the Premier League side is on the 25-man shortlist for the Golden Boy.

The awards, created by Italian newspaper Tuttosport, are given to the best under-21 footballers each year, with Barcelona striker Lamine Yamal becoming the Golden Boy winner last year. Vicky Lopez, also from Barcelona, ​​is the Golden Girl award winner.

The likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Wayne Rooney have previously won the men’s award, while Germany’s Jules Brand and Colombia’s Linda Caicedo took home the women’s award.

To be considered for selection in 2025, a player must have been born on or after 1 January 2005, and belong to a team in one of the top 25 UEFA leagues.

Despite remaining eligible by age, Yamal, 18, was not mentioned among the nominees because a player cannot win the award twice.

The nine candidates for the Premier League are Arsenal left-back Lewis Skelly and midfielder Ethan Nwaneri, Tottenham Hotspur midfielders Lukas Bergvall and Archie Gray, Chelsea striker Estévão and defender Jurel Hato, Manchester United defender Lenny Euro, Manchester City full-back Nico O’Reilly, and midfielder Liverpool Giovanni Leoni.

O’Reilly, 20, has been named in the England senior squad for the first time in recent international matches, but is yet to make his debut for Thomas Tuchel’s side.

Defender Dean Hewison, who joined Real Madrid from Bournemouth in the summer, was also nominated.

One of the leading contenders for the Golden Boy award is Paris Saint-Germain striker Desiree Du, who finished 14th in the Ballon d’Or voting after winning the Champions League with his club.

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Joby Bellingham is also a candidate after helping Sunderland reach the top flight via the play-offs before moving to the Bundesliga. Brother Jude, a Real Madrid player, won the award in 2023.

Agyemang was England’s Euro 2025 hero, with the 19-year-old coming off the bench to score late equalizers against Sweden and Italy in the knockout stage as the Lionesses continued to successfully defend the trophy.

These outstanding contributions earned her the tournament’s Young Player of the Year award.

She joins Chelsea midfielder Wiki Captaine and Manchester City midfielder Iman Benny on the 10-player shortlist for the women’s award.

Award winners are determined by a poll of 50 selected sports journalists from across Europe.

Nominees for the Golden Boy Award 2025:

Golden Girl Award 2025 nominees: