Kubo named on Golden Boy Shortlist

Attacking loanee Takefusa Kubo has been named to the shortlist for the 2020 Golden Boy award. He is one of four Real Madrid owned players up for the prize from Tuttosport and one of sixty nominees overall. He is also arguably the most accomplished Real Madrid player on this year’s list after an excellent debut season in La Liga with Mallorca last campaign.

The winners of this award have largely gone on to great success. Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Aguero, Paul Pogba, Raheem Sterling, and Kylian Mbappe have all won it before. The award is delivered to the player deemed the best U21 player on the planet. Joao Felix is the reigning winner, having been awarded for his play while at Benfica. The fact he won this prize is probably directly related to Benfica’s ability to ask for over 100m from Atleti for his services.

Cards on the table, Kubo has virtually no chance of winning this award (in fact, no Real Madrid player ever has). Eduardo Camavinga, Alphonso Davies, Erling Haaland, and Jadon Sancho would be my guesses for the favorites to win it, The only players to ever win the award while playing in Spain are Messi, Aguero, and Isco.

The nomination speaks to Kubo’s reputation in world football, one he will be eager to prove on the pitch this season. He is definitely a rising star in world football, and if he has a good season he can not only propel Villarreal to great heights but also bring them global notoriety. The next round of cuts will by made by October 15th, with the list being cut down to twenty young players.