Gavi and Balde Golden Boy nominees

Gavi and Balde have made the list of Golden Boy award nominees. The two Barça players were among 10 to be nominated today in Milan. Let's not forget that the midfielder won last year's edition of this award presented by the Italian newspaper, Tuttosport. 

The ranking presented for the Golden Boy shone a light on the top 100 players based on a new form of statistical analysis by Football BenchMark. The Golden Boy Index considers a player's performance, playing time, value to the team, as well as national team and European club competition performances. Gavi is in third place and Balde in fifth.

Last two editions won by Barça players

Journalists also contributed to this initial list and the winner will be chosen from this narrowed down selection. Barça players have taken top spot in the last two editions, with Pedri winning in 2021, before Gavi in 2022. Now the midfielder has a chance to win this individual award again after a season where he played a key role in the spine of Xavi's side. Brimming with energy and hard work, the La Masia graduate played 49 games, scoring 3 goals, and his Golden Boy Rating is 93. 

Left-back and fellow La Masia graduate Balde is in fifth place with a Golden Boy Rating of 87.8. During a breakout season in which he forced his way into Xavi's first team, Balde has provided quality, strength, physicality and speed in the 44 times he played for Barça, including scoring one goal.