This year's Golden Boy shortlist has now been cut to 40 nominees, but still includes several high-profile names, including stars from Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Manchester United.

Click through the gallery above to see some of the favourites for this year's Golden Boy award!

The Golden Boy award is handed out to the best young player in Europe's top tiers, with all candidates needing to be 21 years old or younger.

The award was established in 2003 by Tuttosport, and has been won by the likes of Lionel Messi (2005), Paul Pogba (2013) and Kylian Mbappe (2017).

This year, there is a vast selection of talented players who have already dominated the headlines in their respective leagues.

Three of the biggest favourites ply their trade in Germany's Bundesliga, with 19-year-old Bayern Munich wing-back Alphonso Davies perhaps having the biggest claim to lift the accolade.

The Canadian, who was born in a Ghana refugee camp, was not even a starter for the Bavarians at the beginning of 2019/20 campaign, but had a breathtaking breakthrough campaign.

He secured the left-back spot for Hansi Flick's side and produced many standout performances, in particular in the latter stages of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League, with some even debating whether or not he has already developed into the best left-back in the game.

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Davies will be rivalled by Borussia Dortmund duo Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho. Both can look back at incredible seasons, with Sancho registering 20 goals and 20 assists in 44 appearances, while Haaland scored an impressive 44 goals in just 40 games in 2019/20.

Former Orlando Pirates forward Lyle Foster, meanwhile, dropped off the list of nominees after making the initial 100-man shortlist. He featured for Cercle Brugge on loan from AS Monaco last season, and joined Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes in this window.

You can find all the nominees on Tuttosport's home page, and the 10 biggest names by scrolling through the gallery above!