Last 5 Golden Boy Award Winners

Spanish wonder kid Pedri is the 2021 Golden Boy award winner. He became the 19th recipient and joined the elite group of golden boy award winners since its inception in 2003.

The Barcelona teenage wonder kid is this year's Golden Boy award winner, beating Jude Bellingham. Pedri is also the first player from Barcelona to win the Golden Boy award after Lionel Messi, who won it back in 2005. He has contributed a lot after coming into the Barcelona squad. He made 52 appearances for the Catalans, winning the Copa del Rey. Pedri played a major role in Spain's journey to the semifinals at Euro 2020, where his performances earned him the Young Player of the Tournament.

What is the eligibility of the Golden Boy Award?

The two most important requirements for the award are that all nominees must be under the age of 21, and must play in European top-tier leagues. A Lot of popular faces have also won this award including Wayne Rooney and Lionel Messi.

Like the Ballon d'Or award, the Golden Boy has a similar set of rules, chosen by a voting panel that consists of journalists from numerous notable sports newspapers. Some of the most well-known participants are The Times (United Kingdom), France Football (who also award the Ballon d'Or), Bild (Germany), and Marca (Spain).

So let us have a look at the Last 5 Golden Boy Award Winners:

#5. Erling Haaland (2020)

Haaland was one of the breaking news in 2020. One of the most talented teenage strikers to emerge in years, Haaland has netted a whopping 70 goals in his first 69 games for Borussia Dortmund. He first got media attention after his outstanding performances with RB Salzburg. His amazing goal-scoring abilities made him the 2020 Golden Boy award winner.

#4. Joao Felix (2019)

Joao Felix was first discovered in Benfica where he showed tremendous performance in the midfield. His performances got the attention of Atletico Madrid who signed him for a huge sum of €126 million in 2019. After the departure of Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona. However, Felix was expected to perform better but he still managed to net 20 goals in 87 appearances. But his on-field presence, which made him stand out from the rest and which is why he won this award in 2019.

#3. Matthijs de Ligt (2018)

The Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt came under the limelight during his time at Ajax. His strong defending and interceptions got the interest of some big clubs. However, he joined Juventus for €76 million. The 22-year-old is still developing but his performances back then were no doubt worthy of the golden boy award.

#2. Kylian Mbappe (2017)

None other than the French wonder-kid Kylian Mbappe, who is in line to get his hands on the Ballon D'or in near future. Mbappe, who has scored 139 goals in 187 matches for PSG, has all the needed abilities to become one of the best forwards in history. If he joins Real Madrid in the future then he will be able to unlock his full potential and be a serious contender next season. 

#1. Renato Sanches (2016)

Another Benfica player was praised for his performances in 2016. Which made him join Bayern Munich in the same year. However, he didn't perform the way he was supposed to. He was loaned to Swansea City, but it was a horrible failure. Later he joined Lille in 2019 with the hopes of re-igniting his career. Now 24, it wouldn't be a shock to see him like other Golden Boy award winners secure a move to another top European club in the near future with AC Milan on the cards.