As the 2024 Golden Boy award approaches, the football world is buzzing with anticipation. Barcelona players have dominated this award in recent years, and to no one’s surprise, another La Masia starlet is leading the charts this time around.
The player in question is Lamine Yamal, who is reportedly leading the votes and has emerged as one of the favourites to win the prestigious Golden Boy award.
However, the Barcelona starlet faces strong competition from Joao Neves, the Portuguese starlet who has enjoyed a strong start to the season at PSG.
Gustavo Sa backs Joao Neves win Golden Boy
As chatter continues over who will win the Golden Boy award this year, Portuguese starlet Gustavo Sa has backed his countryman ahead of Yamal.
Sa, who is himself regarded as one of the most exciting talents in Portuguese football, believes Neves deserves the Golden Boy award more than Yamal on account of his performances at SL Benfica and PSG.
“Lamine Yamal is younger and had a crazy Euro, but given the continuity that Joao Neves has shown, first at Benfica and now at PSG, I think he deserves more,” he said (h/t MARCA).
Sa’s statement comes on the back of Neves’ excellent start to the campaign that saw him rack up five assists in just seven league matches.
It appears the former Benfica starlet is living up to his price tag, with PSG having paid €60 million to secure his services in the summer.
Yamal, though, has had a better start to the season with Barcelona. Despite a muted performance against Alaves, the forward has been involved in 10 goals in 11 matches so far this season.
Moreover, the Barcelona sensation’s performances in Euro 2024 have firmly made him one of the best wingers in not only La Liga but also in Europe at the moment.
Therefore, it could prove to be extremely difficult for Joao Neves to prevent Yamal from winning the Golden Boy trophy this year, despite the support of his countrymen.
