Six Belgians feature have been named on the shortlist of 100 players for the annual Golden Boy Award, a trophy given to talented footballers under the age of 21.
Of the six players, three play in the Jupiler Pro League: midfielder Anouar Ait El Hadj (Anderlecht), goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt (Genk) and midfielder Cisse Sandra (Club Brugge).
Striker Jérémy Doku (Rennes), midfielder Aster Vranckx (Wolfsburg) and midfielder Eliot Matazo (Monaco) have also been nominated.
Anderlecht's Anouar Ait El-Hadj plays Jupiler Pro League first division of the Belgian championship. BELGA PHOTO/VIRGINIE LEFOUR
Belgian-born Diego Moreira, son of Standard midfielder Almani Moreira, was also nominated for the award but plays for the national youth teams in Portugal.
The players are selected by an international cohort of sports journalists and are announced by the Italian newspaper Tuttosport. Notable winners include Wayne Rooney in 2004 and Lionel Messi in 2005.
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No Belgian has won the Golden Boy Award. Eden Hazard came close in 2011, placing third overall. Divock Origi came even closer in 2014, placing second after Raheem Sterling took home the gold.
