Golden Boy (award)
Football award given to the most impressive young male European player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Golden Boy is an award established by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport, that is given by sports journalists to a young male footballer playing in Europe perceived to have been the most impressive during a calendar year (two halves to two separate seasons). All nominees must be under the age of 21 and play in a European nation's top tier. Apart from the main award, an additional one, Golden Boy Web, is decided by online users.[1]
2025 Golden Boy Désiré Doué | |
| Sport | Association football |
|---|---|
| Country | Italy |
| Presented by | Tuttosport |
| History | |
| First award | 2003 |
| Editions | 23 |
| Most recent |  Désiré Doué |
| Website | tuttosport.com |
Rafael van der Vaart became the first recipient in 2003 by winning it at the age of 20 years and 304 days. To this day, he remains the oldest winner of the award. Lionel Messi is the only player to have won both the prestigious Golden Boy award and the Ballon d'Or. He received the Golden Boy in 2005 at the age of 18 years and 173 days, and remained the youngest winner until Gavi won the award in 2022 at 18 years and 77 days. The current youngest winner is Lamine Yamal, who claimed the award in 2024 at the age of 17 years and 137 days.
Selection
The prize was established by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport in 2003.[2] Newspapers that now participate in voting include Bild (Germany), Blick (Switzerland), A Bola (Portugal), L'Équipe (France), France Football (France), Marca (Spain), Mundo Deportivo (Spain), Ta Nea (Greece), Sport Express (Russia), De Telegraaf (Netherlands), and The Times (United Kingdom).[3] Each juror is allowed to nominate five players; the juror allocates 10 points to their most impressive pick, 7 for second, 5 for third, 3 for fourth, and 1 point for fifth.[4]
Winners
Awards won by position
- As of 4 November 2025
| Position | Win(s) |
|---|---|
| Forward | 13 |
| Midfielder | 10 |
| Defender | 1 |
Awards won by nationality
Awards won by club
- As of 4 November 2025
Year in bold have shared the win with other clubs.
| Club | Win(s) | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
 Barcelona |
4 | 2005, 2021, 2022, 2024 |
 Borussia Dortmund |
3 | 2011, 2020, 2023[A] |
 Manchester United |
2004,[B] 2008, 2015[C] | |
 Ajax |
2 | 2003, 2018 |
| Atlético Madrid |
2007, 2019[D] | |
| Monaco |
2015,[E] 2017[F] | |
 Benfica |
2016[G], 2019[H] | |
| Paris Saint-Germain |
2017[C], 2025 | |
| Everton |
1 | 2004[E] |
| Arsenal |
2006 | |
 Milan |
2009 | |
| Manchester City |
2010[I] | |
| Inter Milan |
2010[J] | |
| Málaga |
2012 | |
| Juventus |
2013 | |
| Liverpool |
2014 | |
| Bayern Munich |
2016[D] | |
| Real Madrid |
2023[K] |
See also
Notes
- Shared with Real Madrid.
- Shared with Manchester United.
- Shared with Paris Saint-Germain.
- Shared with Bayern Munich.
- Shared with Atlético Madrid.
- Shared with Inter Milan.
- Shared with Manchester City.
- Shared with Borussia Dortmund.
