Golden Boy Award

The Golden Boy award, first established by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport in 2003, is an annual award that crowns Europe’s best young footballer of the year.

All nominees must be under the age of 21 and play in a European top division. Often the biggest football talents are also called 'Wonderkids'.

Traditionally, a player can only win the award once, so once Golden Boy status has been achieved, the award ensures attention can move to other young players who deserve to be highlighted.

The winner of the award is determined by a vote. Each voter will allocate 10 points to the player they deem most impressive, with 7 for second, 5 for third, 3 for fourth and 1 for fifth.

Voters are sports journalists from a host of Europe’s most well-respected newspapers, including Bild (Germany), l’Equipe (France) and Marca (Spain).