Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham has won the 2023 Golden Boy award.
The Golden Boy award is presented to the best footballer under the age of 21 each year and was created by the Italian outlet Tuttosport in 2003, with journalists voting for the winner. Previous recipients of the award include Wayne Rooney (2004), Lionel Messi (2005) and Paul Pogba (2013). Barcelona’s Gavi picked up the trophy last year.
Bellingham’s victory follows the 20-year-old midfielder collecting the Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d’Or awards in October, where he was recognised as the best under-21 player in world football.
As well as claiming the Kopa Trophy, Bellingham finished 18th in the senior men’s Ballon d’Or based on his performances for his previous club, Borussia Dortmund.
Bellingham moved to Real Madrid from Dortmund earlier in the summer transfer window and has so far earned plaudits for his exceptional performances, having scored 13 goals and assisted three times in 14 appearances across all competitions this season.
During the current campaign, he became just the second player in Real Madrid history to score in his first three Champions League games after netting for his side away to Braga last month, with only Christian Karembeu in 1998 achieving the same feat.
The England international managed to fend off competition from a range of nominees, including the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, Jamal Musiala and Benjamin Sesko, to pick up the prestigious award.
Four Premier League players were nominated – Manchester United’s Hojlund, Chelsea defender Levi Colwill, Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez and Brighton striker Evan Ferguson.
The nominees in full
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Jude Bellingham – the genius England almost never gets to see
(Photo: Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
