UPDATE(Oct. 15, 2020 – 10 am EST)
The 20-person shortlist for the Golden Boy 2020 award includes Canada star Alphonso Davies and US men's national team defender Sergino Dest, as announced Thursday morning.
Davies, a Vancouver Whitecaps academy product, is in his third season with Bundesliga powerhouse side Bayern Munich. As for Dest, he joined FC Barcelona from Ajax this past summer in a blockbuster move.
The Golden Boy award, which is handed out by sports journalists, goes to the best under-21 player in Europe during the last calendar year. Recent winners include Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix and Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt.
ORIGINAL(Sept. 15, 2020 – 6:15 pm EST)
Canadian duo Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, as well as US men's national team defender Sergino Dest, all remain in contention for the Golden Boy award, given to the best under-21 player in Europe over the past year.
The trio were all included among the 40 names in the running for the award from an initial list of 100 released by Italian publication Tuttosport in June. The list will be cut down to a final 20 next month with voting open to some of the top journalists around Europe as well as fans.
Davies must surely be one of the frontrunners for the award after a dream first full season with Bayern Munich. After switching positions to left back, the Vancouver Whitecaps Homegrown product was a sensation, playing a key role in the German giants landing a treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal trophies.
It has also been a big year for his Canada teammate David. After scoring 23 goals for Belgian club Gent last season, the forward secured a big-money move to Ligue 1 side Lille.
Dest, meanwhile, has established himself as one of the best young full-backs in Europe after a strong season with Ajax and has reportedly attracted interest from the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
