Why England international deserves Golden Boy award over Felix

Bookmakers have revealed their odds for the prestigious Golden Boy award after the 20-man shortlist was announced earlier this week.

Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix is the front runner as things stand, Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho is hot on his heels and the pair look set to battle it out for the gong.

Only players under 21 and performances in the calendar year are considered, with three Englishman making the latest cut as Mason Mount and Phil Foden join Sancho in the running.

It's the latter that poses the greatest threat to Felix, however, and the stats suggest that the winger would arguably be a more worthy winner.

While the Portuguese has significantly more goals to his name in league and European club competitions in 2019, with 19 to Sancho's nine, those numbers need context.

Felix is a centre-forward after all, while Sancho operates on the wing, and the England international has been more efficient in front of goal when it comes to conversion rate. While Felix's conversion rate of 19.6 per cent is impressive this year, across performances for both Benfica and Atletico Madrid, he has averaged over twice as many shots per 90 minutes (3.1) as Sancho (1.5).

As a result Sancho's conversion rate of 23.7 per cent is superior, while his attacking statistics elsewhere also overshadow those of Felix.

The Dortmund flyer has 12 assists in league and European club competitions this year to his apparent rival's eight, while his figures for key passes (2.1) and dribbles (4.1) per 90 are well in advance of Felix (1 and 0.7 respectively).

As such it's Sancho that has earned the higher WhoScored.com rating for his club in 2019, with a score of 7.56 to the Portugal starlet's 7.35, and his performances at the start of this season have certainly been of greater repute.

Only Robert Lewandowski - who has struck 11 times in the league already this season - has had a direct hand in more goals in Germany's top-flight, with Sancho scoring three and assisting five.

By contrast Felix has made a more modest start to life in Madrid, having scored just twice in eight LaLiga appearances, whilst also notching his first Champions League goal for his new club.

While there is little doubt, then, that both teenagers have the footballing world at their feet and deserve a huge amount of credit for their development over the year, Sancho could feel hard done by if the bookies have called this one right.