Slap in the face for Bayern Munich! Borussia Dortmund represented far more strongly in famous talent ranking
In the updated Golden Boy ranking by Italy’s Tuttosport, Borussia Dortmund boast four talents.
Pau Cubarsi has taken top spot in the prestigious youth award, replacing his Barcelona team-mate and World Cup breakout star Lamine Yamal. New Real Madrid signing Yan Diomande completes the top three in third.
For the Bundesliga, though, the latest monthly update paints a clear picture of the balance of power. Bayern Munich have only one talent in the top 100, Lennart Karl, while Borussia Dortmund dominate the domestic comparison.
The Munich midfielder has slipped four places since the previous update and now sits eighth, but he remains the highest-ranked Bundesliga player.
Golden Boy ranking: which Borussia Dortmund players are included?
Behind him, Borussia Dortmund are seeing the benefits of their transfer drive. No fewer than four Dortmund youngsters made the selection.
Summer signing Konstantinos Karetsas leads the way at Borussia Dortmund after climbing three places to 22nd. Alongside the attacking player, the Westphalians also have defenders Luca Reggiani (39th) and Joane Gadou (65th), plus attacking talent Samuele Inacio (72nd), in the race for the coveted trophy.
Across Europe, that total puts the black and yellows behind only Porto. The Portuguese club have the biggest contingent with five players.
Schalke 04 are also represented by one professional
Yet Borussia Dortmund could soon draw level. The runners-up are pushing hard to sign winger Said El Mala from Cologne. The 19-year-old is ranked 17th, which makes him the second-best German professional in the overall standings. Behind the scenes, the clubs are currently negotiating the transfer fee for the attacking player. If they reach an agreement, Dortmund would also move to the top in Europe.
Elsewhere, the rest of the Bundesliga representatives are spread across only a handful of clubs. Bayer Leverkusen have two hopefuls in Christian Kofane (19th) and Montrell Culbreath (53rd), while Schalke 04 are represented by centre-back Mertcan Ayhan in 97th.
Who won the 2025 Golden Boy award?
For years, the newspaper Tuttosport has presented the award to the best U21 footballers in Europe. Players born in 2006 or later and active in one of the 25 strongest European leagues are eligible.
Since July, performance data have fed into the assessment each month via an index developed jointly with transfermarkt.de. In October, the list of candidates will be cut to 20 finalists, from whom an international expert jury will choose the successor to current title holder Desire Doue of Paris Saint-Germain.
