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Spanish boy wonder Pedri was recently announced the winner of the 2021 Golden Boy award. The Barcelona star became the 19th winner of the award, which was first established by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport in 2003.
Like the Ballon d'Or award, the Golden Boy is chosen by a voting panel that consists of journalists from numerous notable sports newspapers. Some of the most well-known participants are The Times (United Kingdom), France Football (who also award the Ballon d'Or), Bild (Germany) and Marca (Spain).
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Who is eligible for the Golden Boy award?
The two main guidelines for the award state that all nominees must be below the age of 21, and must play in a European nation's top tier. Neymar, who was arguably the best youngster in the world at the time, never won the award, as he arrived on European shores with Barcelona after turning 21.
Some prominent Golden Boy winners such as Anderson and Alexandre Pato have fizzled out despite promising signs early in their careers. Others, like Isco and Mario Gotze, have achieved considerable success, but have slowed down in recent years. Stars like Paul Pogba and Raheem Sterling have also won the prestigious award, but narrowly miss out on our list.
On that note, here are the five greatest players to have won the Golden Boy award:
#5 Kylian Mbappe (2017, Paris Saint-Germain/Monaco)
Then 18-year-old Kylian Mbappe was on loan at PSG when he was announced the winner of the 2017 Golden Boy award. He won the prestigious honour for his exploits with Monaco in the 2016-17 season.
Mbappe scored 26 goals and provided 14 assists as the Monegasques stunned PSG to win the Ligue 1 title. They embarked on a memorable run to the semi-finals of the Champions League too. Monaco beat Pep Guardiola's Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund along the way.
Mbappe won the Golden Boy title ahead of Ousmane Dembele (Borussia Dortmund), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan) and Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City), among others.
#4 Cesc Fabregas (2006, Arsenal)
At just 16, Cesc Fabregas took the brave step of leaving his boyhood club Barcelona's famous La Masia academy for English giants Arsenal. The move paid off, as he soon became The Gunners' youngest-ever first-team player,and the youngest goalscorer in the club's history.
In an impressive 2005-06 season, the then 19-year-old Fabregas made 50 appearances across competitions to win the 2006 Golden Boy award.
He scored five goals and provided six assists while pulling the strings in midfield as Arsenal finished runners-up in the UEFA Champions League.
#3 Sergio Aguero (2007, Atletico Madrid)
Sergio Aguero won the 2007 Golden Boy award as a 19-year-old in his first season at Atletico Madrid. However, his remarkable performances for Independiente in Argentina the previous season played a key role in Aguero winning the trophy. The striker scored 18 goals for the club in 36 league games before joining Atletico Madrid in 2006.
More than a decade later, the 2007 Golden Boy winner is regarded as one of the greatest strikers in the game's history. After netting 100 goals for Atletico Madrid, Aguero went on to become the all-time top scorer for Manchester City, netting 260 strikes. He is also the fourth-most Premier League goalscorer, with 184 goals, all for City.
Unfortunately, it seems, Aguero's career may be coming to a premature end, as he was recently diagnosed with a heart condition. Unconfirmed reports suggest the 33-year-old's retirement is imminent.
#2 Wayne Rooney (2004, Everton/Manchester United)
England and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney was the second Golden Boy winner after the award was introduced in 2003. After making his Everton debut in 2002 as a 16-year-old, Rooney made 40 appearances across competitions for The Toffees in 2003-04. He scored nine goals and provided a solitary assist.
A blockbuster transfer to Manchester United followed, and Rooney enjoyed a dazzling start to his Red Devils career. He scored a hat-trick on his Champions League debut. Rooney ended the 2004-05 campaign with 17 goals in 43 games across competitions, and was named the Golden Boy award winner.
The rest is history. By the end of his decorated career, Wayne Rooney had scored 250 goals for United to become the club's all-time top-scorer. He is also second on the all-time Premier League scoring list with 208 strikes. While Harry Kane is breathing down his neck, Rooney is still England's top scorer with 53 goals.
#1 Lionel Messi (2005, Barcelona)
One of the earliest accolades of Lionel Messi's glittering career was the 2005 Golden Boy award. It was also one of the first battles of what would become football's greatest rivalry. The Barcelona man was named winner of the Golden Boy title over Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi's stats in 2004-05 weren't particularly impressive, as he made nine appearances for Barcelona as a 17-year-old, scoring once. However, he burst onto the scene the next season, making 25 appearances while registering eight goals and five assists.
A decade and a half later, Lionel Messi has won six Ballon d'Or awards and 35 trophies with Barcelona, scoring over 750 goals for club and country. The little magician is undoubtedly one of the greatest players to have graced the game.
