Jude Bellingham will battle it out with Liverpool and Manchester United starlets in hope of landing the prestigious Golden Boy award.

The annual prize is awarded by Italian publication Tuttosport to European football’s most promising talent under the age of 21.

Real Madrid star Bellingham is the overriding favourite to land this year's award

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Real Madrid star Bellingham is the overriding favourite to land this year’s awardCredit: Getty
Garnacho has been rewarded for an excellent breakout season at Man United

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Garnacho has been rewarded for an excellent breakout season at Man UnitedCredit: AFP
Harvey Elliott's impressive displays for Liverpool have seen him recognised for the award

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Harvey Elliott’s impressive displays for Liverpool have seen him recognised for the awardCredit: Getty

Barcelona star Gavi is the current holder of the award and the 18-year-old is again in the running to scoop this year’s gong.

The star studded list includes recent Real Madrid signing and overwhelming favourite Bellingham, as well as Bayern Munich sensation Jamal Musiala.

Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho makes the cut as do Liverpool pairing Harvey Elliott and Stefan Bajcetic who were both included in the top 100 list.

Other notable names in the frame include Manchester United target Rasmus Hojlund and PSV Eindhoven’s Xavi Simons.

I played against Zidane and I think Bellingham will be better at Real Madrid
Bellingham says seeing Madrid beat Liverpool in Champions League final helped decision

Alejandro Balde, Benjamin Sesko, Florian Wirtz and Manchester City’s Rico Lewis have also been recognised for their impressive contributions over the last 12 months.

RB Leipzig heads up the list of club’s boasting the most nominees with five – one more than FC Copenhagen and Brighton – while the Premier League have 12 of its young stars on the list.

The Golden Boy award has helped propel some of European football’s biggest talents to superstardom since its inception in 2003.

Former Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart was the winner of the inaugural award before Wayne Rooney and Lionel Messi were victorious in 2004 and 2005 respectively.

Previous Premier League-based winners include Cesc Fabregas, Anderson, Mario Balotelli, Raheem Sterling and Anthony Martial.

Last year's winner Gavi is once again in the running for the award

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Last year’s winner Gavi is once again in the running for the award

Paul Pogba claimed the award in 2014 during his first spell at Juventus and Sergio Aguero scooped the prize in 2007 whilst at Atletico Madrid.

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More recently, Kylian Mbappe (2017) and Erling Haaland (2020) were recipients of the Golden Boy award.

The full 100-player shortlist is at europeangoldenboy.com

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