Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham claim awards at the Golden Boy gala

Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham celebrated individual success at the Golden Boy gala in Turin, Italy, on Monday.

Bellingham, the England and Real Madrid midfielder, received the coveted Golden Boy award, recognising him as the most impressive young male footballer over the past calendar year. Since his £115 million summer transfer from Borussia Dortmund, Bellingham has excelled at Madrid, scoring 15 goals across all competitions and breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for the most goals in a player’s first 15 games at the Spanish club.

Meanwhile, Manchester City goalscorer Erling Haaland won the Golden Player Man award, beating Lionel Messi, for his outstanding contributions that helped the club secure the Treble last season.

Erling Haaland’s remarkable debut season in Manchester saw him score 52 goals in 53 games for Pep Guardiola’s side, including the most goals in a single Premier League campaign.

The Golden Boy gala also acknowledged the women’s game, with Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati being recognised as the best women’s player.

Bellingham reflected on winning the award, via Sky Sports: “I can’t be more grateful to all the people I have met along the way to help get me to the point I am at now. It’s about trying to make my team and country the best teams in the world and to be the best player in the world you have to help your teams win and to join that list is such a big honour.”