Fabrizio Romano confirms major Giovanni Leoni update this evening…

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed a significant update regarding Giovanni Leoni this evening.

Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni has been named among the 25 finalists for the Golden Boy 2025 award.

The Italian centre-back has gained recognition as one of Europe’s top young football talents after an impressive season with Parma.

During the 2024/25 season, he made 17 appearances (totaling 1,205 minutes) for the Serie A team, which finished in 16th place.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed a notable achievement for Giovanni Leoni.

On Wednesday evening, Fabrizio Romano revealed the 25-player shortlist on X (formerly Twitter).

This shortlist also features notable Premier League players, such as Leny Yoro (Manchester United), Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal), and Archie Grey (Tottenham), among others.

OFFICIAL: The finalists for the Golden Boy 2025 have been announced with a 25-man shortlist ⭐️

Désiré Doué

Leny Yoro

Senny Mayulu

Warren Zaire-Emery

Eliesse Ben Seghir

Mamadou Sarr

Ethan Nwaneri

Nico O’Reilly

Archie Gray

Jobe Bellingham

Pau Cubarsí

Dean Huijsen…

Unfortunately, Leoni suffered an ACL injury during his only appearance for Liverpool in the 2025/26 season – a 1-0 victory against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.

When can we expect Leoni to return from his injury?

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has already stated that his young defender will be out for ‘a year’.

Injury expert Ben Dinnery has analyzed the situation and suggested that the player may not be back on the field until early 2027 at the latest.

Regardless, it is anticipated that Giovanni Leoni will miss the entirety of the 2025/26 season at the very least.

Who is the frontrunner for the Golden Boy award?

If we were to forecast the likely winner of the Golden Boy award based on statistics, the prospects for our Italian starlet do not appear particularly promising.

Average rating for the 2024/25 season

Franco Mastantuono – 7.7/10

Desire Doue – 7.5/10

Nico O’Reilly – 7.4/10

Estevão – 7.4/10

Pio Esposito – 7.3/10

Jobe Bellingham – 7.2/10

Kenan Yildiz – 7.2/10

Arda Güler – 7.2/10

Dean Huijsen – 7.2/10

Geovany Quenda – 7.1/10

Rodrigo Mora – 7.1/10

Jorrel Hato – 7.1/10

Aleksandar Stanković – 7.1/10

Eliesse Ben Seghir – 7/10

Warren Zaire-Emery – 7/10

Victor Froholdt – 7/10

Senny Mayulu – 6.9/10

Ethan Nwaneri – 6.9/10

Pau Cubarsí – 6.9/10

Lucas Bergvall – 6.8/10

Mamadou Sarr – 6.8/10

Giovanni Leoni – 6.56/10

Leny Yoro – 6.45/10

Archie Gray – 6.17

Giovanni Leoni’s average rating from the 2024/25 season in comparison to his peers (Fotmob)

However, (statistical) appearances can be misleading. The data, for example, does not consider the relative difficulty of leagues, which likely impacted each player’s performance for their respective teams.

As observed at a higher level with the Ballon d’Or, there is often an arguably disproportionate emphasis on attacking players, while the consistent excellence of goalkeepers and defenders tends to be undervalued.

The average statistics might imply that our summer acquisition is not deserving of further attention.

Nevertheless, we are aware that Giovanni Leoni distinguished himself with remarkably mature performances in Serie A against top strikers such as Romelu Lukaku.

The 18-year-old center-back was so impressive that the legendary manager Arrigo Sachi was left ‘convinced’ that this defender was destined to become the ‘linchpin’ of Italy’s defense.

Thus, statistics do not convey the complete narrative.

What was the transfer fee for Giovanni Leoni to Liverpool?

Liverpool acquired Giovanni Leoni from Parma during the summer transfer window of 2025 for an initial fee of £26m (plus add-ons).

The young player signed a six-year contract with the Premier League club.