Golden Boy Award 2026: The Golden Boy is one of football’s most respected awards for young players. Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport created it back in 2003. It goes to the most impressive under-21 player in European football each year. Twenty-three editions have been held so far.
How It All Works
A panel of sports journalists across Europe casts the votes. Papers like L’Equipe, Marca, Bild, The Times and France Football all take part. Each juror nominates five players. They award 10 points to their top pick, then 7, 5, 3 and 1 point for the rest. The player with the most total points walks away with the trophy.
There is one big rule. The player must be under 21. They must also be playing in a top-tier European league. That final condition is what separates the Golden Boy from the Kopa Trophy, which is open to players worldwide. The Golden Boy is strictly a European competition.
The 2025 Winner: Désiré Doué
Désiré Doué of Paris Saint-Germain won the 2025 Golden Boy. He claimed it at the age of 20 years and 154 days. The French forward had a season that left the jury with very few doubts. He was central to PSG’s Champions League title win. His performances at the Parc des Princes were electric from start to finish.
Doué also finished second in the 2025 Kopa Trophy vote behind Lamine Yamal. So he picked up the Golden Boy trophy as consolation, and a very prestigious one at that. Not many players can say they lost the Kopa Trophy and still walked away with a major award the same year.
All Winners: Full List (2003 to 2025)
| Year | Winner | Position | Age at Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 🇳🇱 Rafael van der Vaart | Midfielder | 20y 304d |
| 2004 | 🏴 Wayne Rooney | Forward | 19y 50d |
| 2005 | 🇦🇷 Lionel Messi | Forward | 18y 173d |
| 2006 | 🇪🇸 Cesc Fàbregas | Midfielder | 19y 212d |
| 2007 | 🇦🇷 Sergio Agüero | Forward | 19y 188d |
| 2008 | 🇧🇷 Anderson | Midfielder | 20y 237d |
| 2009 | 🇧🇷 Alexandre Pato | Forward | 20y 102d |
| 2010 | 🇮🇹 Mario Balotelli | Forward | 20y 13d |
| 2011 | 🇩🇪 Mario Götze | Midfielder | 19y 189d |
| 2012 | 🇪🇸 Isco | Midfielder | 20y 245d |
| 2013 | 🇫🇷 Paul Pogba | Midfielder | 20y 264d |
| 2014 | 🏴 Raheem Sterling | Forward | 20y 12d |
| 2015 | 🇫🇷 Anthony Martial | Forward | 20y 14d |
| 2016 | 🇵🇹 Renato Sanches | Midfielder | 19y 67d |
| 2017 | 🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappé | Forward | 18y 307d |
| 2018 | 🇳🇱 Matthijs de Ligt | Defender | 19y 127d |
| 2019 | 🇵🇹 João Félix | Forward | 20y 17d |
| 2020 | 🇳🇴 Erling Haaland | Forward | 20y 123d |
| 2021 | 🇪🇸 Pedri | Midfielder | 18y 362d |
| 2022 | 🇪🇸 Gavi | Midfielder | 18y 77d |
| 2023 | 🏴 Jude Bellingham | Midfielder | 20y 159d |
| 2024 | 🇪🇸 Lamine Yamal | Forward | 17y 137d |
| 2025 | 🇫🇷 Désiré Doué | Forward | 20y 154d |
Key Records
Some milestones from this award are genuinely remarkable. Here are the ones that stand out:
- Oldest winner ever: Rafael van der Vaart in 2003, aged 20 years and 304 days
- Youngest winner ever: Lamine Yamal in 2024, aged just 17 years and 137 days
- Only player to win both the Golden Boy and Ballon d’Or: Lionel Messi
- First ever winner: Rafael van der Vaart, at Ajax in 2003
- Most editions of the award: 23 completed so far
Messi’s double is worth dwelling on. He won the Golden Boy in 2005 and the Ballon d’Or four years later. Nobody else has ever pulled off both. That fact alone tells you a lot about how exceptional he was as a young player.
The Class of 2024: Lamine Yamal Makes History
Lamine Yamal became the youngest ever Golden Boy winner in 2024. He was 17 years and 137 days old. The previous record was held by Gavi, who won it in 2022 at 18 years and 77 days. Yamal shattered that record by nearly a year.
For context, he was helping Spain win Euro 2024 at an age when most footballers are still in youth academies. The jury had no choice but to give him the trophy.
Where Do the Winners End Up?
Looking back at the full list, the Golden Boy has a mixed track record as a predictor of superstar status. Players like Messi, Mbappé, Haaland and Bellingham have gone on to dominate world football. Then there are winners like Anderson, Renato Sanches and Alexandre Pato, whose careers faded much faster than their early promise suggested.
That unpredictability makes the history of this award fascinating. A Golden Boy win is a moment of recognition. It is not a guarantee of greatness. The ones who last are the ones who work hardest.
The Haaland Chapter
Erling Haaland won the 2020 Golden Boy while at Borussia Dortmund. He was tearing through the Bundesliga at a frightening rate. The world knew even then that he was different. He has since become one of the most prolific strikers the game has ever seen. His Golden Boy win in 2020 looks very justified in hindsight.
Wins by Country
Spain is the most decorated nation in Golden Boy history. Five different Spanish players have won the award. That includes the back-to-back wins of Pedri and Gavi from 2021 to 2022. France is second with four wins, including Mbappé and Doué. England follows with three.
| Country | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 🇪🇸 Spain | 5 | 2006, 2012, 2021, 2022, 2024 |
| 🇫🇷 France | 4 | 2013, 2015, 2017, 2025 |
| 🏴 England | 3 | 2004, 2014, 2023 |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 2 | 2003, 2018 |
| 🇦🇷 Argentina | 2 | 2005, 2007 |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 2 | 2008, 2009 |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | 2 | 2016, 2019 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 1 | 2010 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 1 | 2011 |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | 1 | 2020 |
Wins by Club
Barcelona lead the club rankings. They have produced four winners. Three of those came in the last five editions alone. That shows how relentlessly the club develops elite young talent. Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United follow with three wins each. United are the only English club with multiple winners.
| Club | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 🇪🇸 Barcelona | 4 | 2005, 2021, 2022, 2024 |
| 🇩🇪 Borussia Dortmund | 3 | 2011, 2020, 2023 |
| 🏴 Manchester United | 3 | 2004, 2008, 2015 |
| 🇳🇱 Ajax | 2 | 2003, 2018 |
| 🇪🇸 Atlético Madrid | 2 | 2007, 2019 |
| 🇫🇷 Monaco | 2 | 2015, 2017 |
| 🇵🇹 Benfica | 2 | 2016, 2019 |
| 🇫🇷 Paris Saint-Germain | 2 | 2017, 2025 |
Wins by Position
Forwards have dominated this award since 2003. The game rewards attackers with trophies. That is true from youth level all the way to the Ballon d’Or itself.
| Position | Wins |
|---|---|
| Forward | 13 |
| Midfielder | 10 |
| Defender | 1 |
Only one defender has ever won the Golden Boy. That was Matthijs de Ligt in 2018. It remains a genuinely rare achievement for a non-attacking player.
What the Award Means Today
The Golden Boy has grown into one of the most credible young player awards in world football. It sits alongside the Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d’Or ceremony and the UEFA Golden Boy as the top honours for emerging stars. The difference is simple. The Golden Boy has been running since 2003. It has two decades of history behind it.
As the 2026 edition approaches, Désiré Doué has aged out of eligibility. Lamine Yamal has too. The door is wide open for the next generation to step through. That is what makes this award so exciting every single year.
