Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid has joined the list of the Golden Boy Award winners, given to a footballer in Europe under 21 years of age.
The former Birmingham City player has won the prestigious award following extraordinary performances for his club sides and his nation.
The 20-year-old former Borussia Dortmund midfielder becomes the third England player to claim the trophy after Wayne Rooney in 2004 and Raheem Sterling in 2014.
Jude Bellingham was among the 25 players nominated for the accolade which also includes Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich, Rasmus Hojlund of Manchester United, Evan Ferguson of Brighton & Hove Albion, and Levi Colwil of Chelsea.
However, it is no surprise that the Englishman won the award after an excellent 2023.
The 20-year-old, who was advised to withdraw from England’s Euro 2024 qualifier matches against Malta and North Macedonia following a shoulder injury, will collect his Golden Boy award at a ceremony in Italy, Turin on December 4.
Meanwhile, it will be the second individual honor for Bellingham, having already bagged the Kopa Trophy awarded, given to the best under-21 footballer in the world at the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris.
This came as a result of his excellent performances for his former club side Borussia Dortmund and his current team Real Madrid.
The Golden Boy Award was organized by the Italian outlet Tuttosport in 2003, with 50 journalists voting for the winner.
The inaugural edition was won by Dutch player Rafael van der Vaart, with Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Wayne Rooney, and Sergio Aguero among the past winners.
Other names to have collected the honour include Gavi, Pedri, Joao Felix, Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland.
Jude Bellingham’s stats which earned him the Golden Boy Award
Bellingham started the year helping Dortmund drag Bayern to the final match of the 2022/2023 German Bundesliga season before an injury to the wonderkid ruled him out of his side’s last game which his team decisively lost.
Regardless, he ended the season with 14 goals and seven assists in 42 outings.
After the end of last season, he joined Real Madrid during the summer transfer window for a British record of 115 million pounds.
The English player started life with the Spanish powerhouse in a completely outstanding way.
Jude Bellingham has bagged 13 goals and provided three assists in 14 games for Real Madrid.
He has also played five games for England this year, contributing two goals and two assists.
Futballnews takes a look at the winners of this prestigious individual trophy over the years.
2003
Rafael van der Vaart – Netherlands & Ajax
2004
Wayne Rooney England & Manchester United
2005
Lionel Messi – Argentina & Barcelona
2006
Cesc Fabregas – Spain & Arsenal
2007
Sergio Aguero Argentina & Atletico Madrid
2008
Anderson – Brazil & Manchester United
2009
Alexandre Pato Brazil & AC Milan
2010
Mario Balotelli – Italy & Manchester City
2011
Mario Gotze – Germany & Borussia Dortmund
2012
Isco – Spain & Malaga
2013
Paul Pogba – France & Juventus
2014
Raheem Sterling – England & Liverpool
2015
Anthony Martial – France & Manchester United
2016
Renato Sanches Portugal & Bayern Munich
2017
Kylian Mbappe France, AS Monaco & PSG
2018
Matthijs De Ligt – Netherlands & Ajax
2019
Joao Felix – Portugal, Benfica & Atletico Madrid
2020
Erling Haaland – Norway & Borussia Dortmund
2021
Pedri – Spain & Barcelona
2022
Gavi -Spain & Barcelona
2023
Jude Bellingham -England, Borussia Dortmund, & Real Madrid
Other Awards given out apart from Golden Boy
In the 2023 edition of the Golden Boy Award, awards were given alongside the Golden Boy honor, with Arsenal’s sporting director Edu Gaspar securing Best European Manager and Brighton’s Tony Bloom named Best European President.
Linda Caicedo earned the Golden Girl award, marking more success for Real Madrid.
The 18-year-old has been a crucial player for the Liga F side since joining from Deportivo Cali in February.
She also excelled at the 2023 Women’s World Cup for Colombia this summer and was nominated for the FIFA Puskas Award after her incredible goal against Germany in the group stage of the tournament.
What’s next for Jude Bellingham?
The new Golden Boy Award winner is currently working on his fitness in other to get back on his feet when the league resumes after the International break.
