Forty nominees have been announced for the 2022 Golden Boy award, with Arsenal new boy Marquinhos among them. The annual award is given to the best young footballer in Europe - born in 2002 or after, on this occasion - over the course of the calendar year.
Arsenal have had a winner of the award before, with a 19-year-old Cesc Fabregas scooping the gong in 2006. However, a Chelsea player has never won the award, and the wait will go on with no Blues squad members in the 40-strong list of nominees.
The likes of Reece James, Mason Mount, Wesley Fofana, Conor Gallagher and Armando Broja are all ineligible for the award due to their age. All nominees for this year's prize must have been born after January 1, 2002 - and all of the aforementioned Chelsea players were born before that date, with Broja the closest to being eligible, but he is four months too old to be considered.
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At 18-years-old, £20 million summer signing Carney Chukwuemeka was eligible to be nominated, but he didn't make the 40-man list. However, Golden Boy organisers Tuttesport have included Marquinhos among the nominees.
The 19-year-old, who scored on his Gunners debut against FC Zurich last week, will be hoping to follow in Fabregas' footsteps and become the second Arsenal player to win the award, but he is up against some stiff competition.
Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham - previously linked with Chelsea - is among the nominees, as is former Blues academy player Jamal Musiala and Liverpool star Harvey Elliott.
Another player strongly linked with the Blues this summer, Josko Gvardiol, is also included in the list, along with Elliott's team-mate Fabio Carvalho and Anthony Elanga of Manchester United.
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