Doue, Agyemang win awards for best young player

Desire Doue has won the 2025 Golden Boy award, with Michelle Agyemang securing the Golden Girl trophy, honours which recognise the best young players in Europe.

France forward Doue, 20, was instrumental last season as Paris St-Germain won the French treble, including their first-ever Champions League title.

The 20-year-old scored 16 goals and made 16 assists in 61 games, including a double in PSG’s Champions League final win against Inter Milan.

England and Brighton striker Agyemang, who is on loan from Arsenal, scored two crucial goals as the Lionesses won the 2025 European Championship and was named young player of the tournament.

The 19-year-old has started in five of Brighton’s six WSL games this season but is set to miss the rest of the campaign after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament.

The award winners were announced at a news conference on Tuesday, with the official ceremony taking place on 1 December.

The awards, created by Italian newspaper Tuttosport, are decided by a poll of 50 selected sports journalists from across Europe.

They are given to the best under-21 footballers each year, with Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal becoming last year’s Golden Boy winner.

Vicky Lopez, also of Barcelona, was the Golden Girl winner.

The likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Wayne Rooney are previous winners of the men’s award, while Germany’s Jule Brand and Colombian Linda Caicedo have taken the women’s award.

For a player to be considered in 2025, they must have been born on or after 1 January 2005 and belong to a squad in one of UEFA’s top 25 leagues.

Despite still being eligible, 18-year-old Yamal was not among the nominees because a player cannot win the award twice.

(BBC Sport)

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