The Golden Boy is an awarded that was established by Tuttosport that honours the best young players from across Europe for their performances over a calendar year.

It was established in 2003, with Dutch playmaker Rafael van der Vaart becoming the inaugural winner of the prestigious award. Since then, 21 different players have won the award, including a wide range of nationalities.

Three English players have won the Golden Boy award since 2003, which include one of the finest strikers of all time, a Real Madrid superstar and a former Premier League winning forward.

Wayne Rooney (2004)

There was really no other choice for the Golden Boy award in 2004 than Wayne Rooney, following a fantastic season with Everton and with England.

Rooney broke out as a 16-year-old for Everton in 2002, making his mark with a volley against Arsenal to introduce himself onto the world stage.

Buy 2004, he has cemented himself as a starter and the star man for the Toffees, becoming an impressive Premier League goalscorer and breaking into the England squad, even becoming his country’s youngest ever scorer.

He was one of the finest players at EURO 2004 for England, with his performances being compared to Pele’s 1958 World Cup-winning performance.

Rooney scored four times in that tournament, before an injury kept him out of the quarter-final defeat on penalties against Portugal. These performances earned him a move to Manchester United in the summer for £20 million, where he continued his goalscoring form with a hat-trick against Fenerbahçe on his debut.

Raheem Sterling (2014)

In 2014, Liverpool were delighted to announce that Raheem Sterling was the first player in the club’s history to take home the Golden Boy award.

The 19-year-old was a key member of the Reds team that finished second in the Premier League that season, although it was made famous by Steven Gerrard’s infamous slip to cost Liverpool the title in their match against Chelsea.

Sterling impressed throughout that season, combining with Sturridge and Suarez in a fantastic front three that dazzled the division in fantastic style, thoroughly earning his Golden Boy award.

Jude Bellingham (2023)

Following an incredible season at Borussia Dortmund where he established himself as one of the top players in world football, Jude Bellingham was rightfully awarded the Golden Boy award in 2023.

Following a £20 million move from Birmingham City the year prior, the 19-year-old shone as Dortmund came close to winning the Bundesliga, losing the title after a last day draw against Mainz.

For his performances across 2023, both for Dortmund and after his move to Real Madrid in the summer, Bellingham received a record-breaking amount of votes to be awarded the Golden Boy award.