Michał Gurgul was named one of the nominees for the prestigious Golden Boy award. Lech’s homegrown player was ranked 60th in the Football Benchmark Index. He was also the only Pole to have been classified.
The Golden Boy title is awarded to the most talented U-21 player since 2003. Rafael van der Vaart was the first player to win the title. In the following years, the likes of Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Lamine Yamal received the award.
Experts from the sports newspaper Tuttosport and Football Benchmark Index were tasked with preparing a list of 100 players nominated for this year’s award. When determining the list of names, the experts took into consideration the players’ performances, the time of play, and the club’s strength, as well as a bonus factor – the number of matches played for the national team and in UEFA competitions.
Michał Gurgul was the only Pole to be nominated for the Golden Boy award this year. The left-back was ranked 60th in the Football Benchmark Index; however, when the list is narrowed down to defenders only, he ranks 23rd. The top ranks are occupied by names such as Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Desire Doue, Dean Huijsen, and Leny Yoro. The winner will be announced at the end of 2025.