-
Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham wins the Golden Boy Award for 2023.
In 2023, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham claimed the prestigious Golden Boy award, recognizing him as the best footballer under the age of 21.
Established by the Italian outlet Tuttosport in 2003, the award is decided by journalists’ votes. Previous recipients include football luminaries like Wayne Rooney (2004), Lionel Messi (2005), and Paul Pogba (2013), with Barcelona’s Gavi securing the honor last year.
Bellingham’s achievement comes on the heels of his Kopa Trophy win at the Ballon d’Or awards in October, where he was acknowledged as the best under-21 player globally. Notably, the 20-year-old midfielder finished 18th in the senior men’s Ballon d’Or based on his performances with his former club, Borussia Dortmund.
Since joining Real Madrid from Dortmund during the summer transfer window, Bellingham has garnered praise for his outstanding performances, registering 13 goals and three assists in 14 appearances across all competitions this season.
In a historic feat, he became the second player in Real Madrid history to score in his first three Champions League games.
Despite stiff competition from nominees such as Rasmus Hojlund, Jamal Musiala, and Benjamin Sesko, the England international secured the award. Additionally, Real Madrid’s Linda Caicedo was honored with the Golden Girl award, recognizing her as the standout player in the 2022 Copa America.
Among the Premier League nominees were Manchester United’s Hojlund, Chelsea’s Levi Colwill, Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez, and Brighton’s Evan Ferguson.
The nominees in full
- Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
- Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
- Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig)
- Antonio Silva (Benfica)
- Alejandro Balde (Barcelona)
- Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
- Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig)
- Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta)
- Rasmus Hojlund (Manchester United)
- Levi Colwill (Chelsea)
- Johan Bakayoko (PSV Eindhoven)
- Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth)
- Arthur Vermeeren (Antwerp)
- Evan Ferguson (Brighton)
- Lucas Gourna-Douath (FC Salzburg)
- Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Ousmane Diomande (Sporting Lisbon)
- Arnau Martinez (Girona)
- Mathys Tel (Bayern Munich)
- Andy Diouf (Lens)
- Arda Guler (Real Madrid),
- Bilal El Khannouss (Genk),
- Martin Baturina (Dinamo Zagreb)
- Joao Neves (Benifca)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)