Barcelona’s young striker, Lamine Yamal, has clinched the prestigious Golden Boy award for the world’s best under-21 footballer of 2024. The winners of this iconic accolade, presented by the Italian newspaper Tuttosport, were revealed on Wednesday, with the trophies to be awarded at a grand ceremony in Turin on December 16. Yamal had previously triumphed with the Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d’Or.
Other Awards
In other news, Toni Kroos was named Player of the Year, while in women’s football, Barcelona’s Vicky López was honored with the Golden Girl award, and Aitana Bonmatí was crowned Player of the Year. The Golden Boy, a tradition since 2003, is the most esteemed trophy of the awards, with Jude Bellingham as its previous winner in 2023.
Finalists
Brazilian talents Endrick from Real Madrid and Savinho from Manchester City were among the finalists for the under-21 award. The only Brazilian winners to date are Anderson (formerly Manchester United) in 2008 and Alexandre Pato (formerly Milan) in 2009.
List of Golden Boy Winners
- 2003 – Rafael van der Vaart
- 2004 – Wayne Rooney
- 2005 – Lionel Messi
- 2006 – Cesc Fàbregas
- 2007 – Sergio Agüero
- 2008 – Anderson
- 2009 – Alexandre Pato
- 2010 – Mario Balotelli
- 2011 – Mario Götze
- 2012 – Isco
- 2013 – Paul Pogba
- 2014 – Raheem Sterling
- 2015 – Anthony Martial
- 2016 – Renato Sanches
- 2017 – Kylian Mbappé
- 2018 – Matthijs de Ligt
- 2019 – João Félix
- 2020 – Erling Haaland
- 2021 – Pedri
- 2022 – Gavi
- 2023 – Jude Bellingham
- 2024 – Lamine Yamal
