Rodrigo Mora closes on Benfica talent in Golden Boy race as Roma minutes mount | OneFootball

Rodrigo Mora looks to have found the right platform at Roma to regain the prominence he lost at FC Porto. The Portuguese attacking midfielder has four appearances, two of them starts, and that increased involvement is feeding into the Golden Boy race.

According to Glorioso 1904, the annual award run by Tuttosport features 100 nominees, with Gianluca Prestianni currently Benfica’s highest-placed name. The Argentine sits 27th on 54.4 points, while Pau Cubarsi leads on 83.4.

Mora is edging closer to Prestianni in the ranking, adding pressure on Benfica’s prospect. The list also includes two players from the Portuguese league, João Simões of Sporting in 82nd on 45.8 points, and Bastien Meupiyou, also of Sporting, in 88th on 45.1.

Created in 2003, the Golden Boy has had two Portuguese winners developed at Benfica. Renato Sanches won in 2015, the year he joined Bayern Munich for 35 million euros. In 2019, João Félix took the prize before a 120 million euros move to Atletico Madrid.

Despite the high expectations around both, neither fully delivered the potential once forecast. Renato Sanches is currently without a club, and João Félix plays for Al Nassr alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Samu Costa. Prestianni now aims to follow those footsteps, with Mora fast closing the gap.

Source: Glorioso 1904

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