The nominees for the 2012 Golden Boy title, which rewards players under 21 playing in Europe, include three French players:
- Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid) – Martinican
- Jean-Christophe Bahebeck (Troyes) – Cameroonian origin
- Paul Pogba (Juventus) – Guinean origin
The winner of the Golden Boy title will succeed the German Mario Götze. The list of winners since the creation of the trophy is as follows:
- 2003: Rafael Van Der Vaart
- 2004: Wayne Rooney
- 2005: Lionel Messi
- 2006: Cesc Fabregas
- 2007: Sergio Agüero
- 2008: Anderson
- 2009: Alexandre Pato
- 2010: Mario Balotelli
- 2011: Mario Götze
