Golden Boy (award)
The Golden Boy is an award that is given by sports journalists to a young footballer playing in Europe perceived to have been the most impressive during a calendar year. All nominees must be under the age of 21 and play in a European nation's top tier.
Selection
The prize was established by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport in 2003. Newspapers that now participate in voting include Bild, Blick, A Bola, l'Équipe, France Football, Marca, Mundo Deportivo, Ta Nea, Sport Express, De Telegraaf, and The Times. Each juror is allowed to nominate five players, the juror will allocate 10 points to the player that they perceive as the most impressive, 7 for second, 5 third, 3 fourth, and 1 point for fifth most impressive.Winners
Year | Winner | Club | Position | Birth year | Ref |
2003 | Rafael van der Vaart | Ajax | Midfielder | 1983 | |
2004 | Wayne Rooney | Everton Manchester United | Forward | 1985 | |
2005 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Forward | 1987 | |
2006 | Cesc Fàbregas | Arsenal | Midfielder | 1987 | |
2007 | Sergio Agüero | Atlético Madrid | Forward | 1988 | |
2008 | Anderson | Manchester United | Midfielder | 1988 | |
2009 | Alexandre Pato | Milan | Forward | 1989 | |
2010 | Mario Balotelli | Inter Milan Manchester City | Forward | 1990 | |
2011 | Mario Götze | Borussia Dortmund | Midfielder | 1992 | |
2012 | Isco | Málaga | Midfielder | 1992 | |
2013 | Paul Pogba | Juventus | Midfielder | 1993 | |
2014 | Raheem Sterling | Liverpool | Forward | 1994 | |
2015 | Anthony Martial | Monaco Manchester United | Forward | 1995 | |
2016 | Renato Sanches | Benfica Bayern Munich | Midfielder | 1997 | |
2017 | Kylian Mbappé | Monaco Paris Saint-Germain | Forward | 1998 | |
2018 | Matthijs de Ligt | Ajax | Defender | 1999 | |
2019 | João Félix | Benfica Atlético Madrid | Forward | 1999 |
Awards won by position
Position | Win |
Forward | 9 |
Midfielder | 7 |
Defender | 1 |
Awards won by nationality
Country | Win | Year |
France | 3 | 2013, 2015, 2017 |
Netherlands | 2 | 2003, 2018 |
England | 2 | 2004, 2014 |
Argentina | 2 | 2005, 2007 |
Spain | 2 | 2006, 2012 |
Brazil | 2 | 2008, 2009 |
Portugal | 2 | 2016, 2019 |
Italy | 1 | 2010 |
Germany | 1 | 2011 |
Awards won by club
Year in bold have shared the win with other clubs.Club | Win | Year |
Manchester United | 3 | 2004, 2008, 2015 |
Monaco | 2 | 2015, 2017 |
Ajax | 2 | 2003, 2018 |
Atlético Madrid | 2 | 2007, 2019 |
Benfica | 2 | 2016, 2019 |
Everton | 1 | 2004 |
Barcelona | 1 | 2005 |
Arsenal | 1 | 2006 |
Milan | 1 | 2009 |
Manchester City | 1 | 2010 |
Inter Milan | 1 | 2010 |
Borussia Dortmund | 1 | 2011 |
Málaga | 1 | 2012 |
Juventus | 1 | 2013 |
Liverpool | 1 | 2014 |
Bayern Munich | 1 | 2016 |
Paris Saint-Germain | 1 | 2017 |