
The Italian sports journal Tuttosport has presented the Golden Boy prize for the best young player annually since 2003. This year the vote is for players born in 2003 or later. Werkself player Florian Wirtz is listed seventh in the nominations. Last year, Bayer 04 player Piero Hincapie was on the list.
You can vote now for Wirtz for the Golden Boy Web, open exclusively to fans. Click HERE to vote.
Nine other Bundesliga players are on the list alongside Wirtz: Jamal Musiala, Mathys Tel (both Bayern Munich), Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig), Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Yossoufa Moukoko (both Borussia Dortmund), Tim Oermann (VfL Bochum 1848), Arne Engels (FC Augsburg), Luca Netz (Borussia Mönchengladbach) and Kevin Paredes (VfL Wolfsburg).
The Golden Boy award:
The top 100 young players is determined via an algorithm of Football Benchmark and Golden Boy. From the long list of 100 nominees, the top 20 plus five wild card players are named in October. 50 international journalists then vote for the Golden Boy from the shortlist.

A special afternoon at the Bayer 04 Football Academy autumn camp: At the Liga 20 indoor football centre, in the shadow of the BayArena, two Werkself women’s team players led a training session. Loreen Bender and Selina Ostermeier not only offered the young players advice and support, but also got stuck in themselves.
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Once the final whistle was blown, it was time to take a deep breath. 2-0 down and a 5–2 win in the end. It was a nerve-wracking affair against FC Nürnberg in the second round of the 2026–27 DFB Pokal. Jonas Hofmann said – “We didn’t let our heads drop” – hitting the nail on the head. Indeed, it was clear the Werkself were not prepared to accept elimination from the DFB Pokal. So they went on to score. The Black and Reds made their presence felt with a goal just before half-time, followed by four more in the second half. Or, to put it another way: Edmond Tapsoba’s first Bayer 04 brace, a clinical penalty from Patrik Schick, yet another precision strike from Hofmann and a blistering volley from Lucas Vázquez. Each goal more beautiful than the last! After the match, head coach Carles Martínez praised his team’s commitment above all else and the fact that they never lost belief in themselves. The Werkself review.
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Werkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 5-2 win against 1. FC Nürnberg in the second round of the DFB-Pokal 2026/27...
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Bayer 04 came from 2-0 down to beat Nürnberg 5-2 in the second round of the 2026/27 DFB Pokal on Wednesday night. Edmond Tapsoba’s double either side of half-time sparked the turnaround, before Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vázquez ensured progress to the last 16 for the 2024 cup winners.
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