Every Golden Boy Winner (Ranked)

The Golden Boy Award, created by the Italian publication Tuttosport, is awarded to the most talented under-21 player each year. Often used as a marker for players potentially destined for greatness, multiple icons of the game have collected the honour since its creation.

The prestigious accolade is awarded to a player in Europe by an assortment of journalists. Over the years, some huge names have lifted the trophy, including the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. And Pau Cubarsi became the latest name to pick up the award in 2026.

What happens next, though, is anybody’s guess. While some winners have blossomed, others have bombed, spectacularly failing to live up to expectations. And with 24 winners to pick from, every winner of the Golden Boy award has now been ranked.

Ranking factors:

There were two main things considered when ranking players:

• What each player achieved in the year they won the award
• What each player went on to achieve

24

Anderson – 2008

Manchester United

Reuters / Action Images / Jason Cairnduff

Sir Alex Ferguson possessed the inexplicable power of making average players look good. While Anderson was by no means average when he claimed the Golden Boy honour in 2008 after shooting to stardom with Porto and then United, his career soon fell into the depths of mediocrity.

During his eight years at Old Trafford, silverware did fall his way, but minutes in the league started to dry up as he became a bit-part player for Ferguson and then subsequent United managers.

Michael Owen went on the record in 2018, stating that while Anderson was “too relaxed” to become the best. Leaving the club in 2015 to return to Brazil, stints at Cortiba, Internacional and then finally Turkish side Adana Demirspor eventually led to him retiring in 2019.

23

Anthony Martial – 2015

Monaco & Manchester United

Reuters / Andrew Yates

When Anthony Martial announced himself to the world on his debut at Manchester United, scoring against the Red Devils’ nemesis, Liverpool, many thought he was going to be the next big thing. He secured the Golden Boy award shortly after, and with a Ballon d’Or bonus inserted into the deal United made with Monaco, many thought the most prestigious individual prize in football could be next.

Although the French international started his time at Old Trafford brightly, torrid luck with injuries and examples of noncompliance resulted in a lacklustre career. Relegated to the role of an unused squad player by Erik ten Hag during his final campaign at the club, those promising days in 2015 feel oh so long away now.

22

Mario Balotelli – 2010

Inter Milan & Manchester City

Reuters / Action Images / Lee Smith

It turns out it really has always been him, even when it came to the Golden Boy Award. Possibly the most charismatic and enigmatic of its long list of winners, Mario Balotelli took home the golden statuette in 2010 in the aftermath of Inter Milan’s historic European treble. However, controversy was never far away from the Italian throughout his career, be it parking fines galore or fans burning his shirt.

Ultimately, he failed to live up to the expectations that many had for him. Despite some notable moments of success, fans will always think about what Balotelli might have been if he had the right mentality.

21

Renato Sanches – 2016

Benfica & Bayern Munich

Reuters / Hannibal Hanschke

There was real fanfare surrounding the Portuguese international before his Golden Boy triumph, having already won the Euros with Portugal earlier in the year. Renato Sanches is a technically dexterous player, whose ability to manipulate the ball while dribbling with it is mesmeric. Saying that, his inconsistency has plagued his career, as have multiple injuries.

Without a club after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, a player once considered the best young star in the world now has no choice but to wonder what might have been.

20

Joao Felix – 2019

Benfica & Atletico Madrid

REUTERS/Susana Vera

Bought by Atletico Madrid for £113m from Benfica in 2019, Joao Felix has flattered to deceive ever since collecting the award.

As one of the most expensive teenagers of all time, the weight of expectation has clearly been felt, and his time at Atletico Madrid was thoroughly disenchanting. Despite winning the Spanish giants’ Player of the Season Award for 2021/22, the Portuguese international was then loaned out to Chelsea after a reported bust-up with head coach Diego Simeone.

His time in the Premier League didn’t grab the right headlines, either, but the forward has since finally rediscovered his best form in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr in a move that no one expected him to be making by this stage of his career.

19

Alexandre Pato – 2009

AC Milan

REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo

Lean, quick and lethal in front of goal, Alexandre Pato shot onto the scene in Serie A after signing for AC Milan for £24m, netting 51 times in 117 Serie A games for the Rossoneri.

Winning the award in 2009, the forward’s spell in Northern Italy was seemingly a one-off, and he was unable to settle down and achieve the same feat at any other club.

Following stints at Chelsea and Villarreal, he returned to his native Brazil and signed for Sao Paulo. There were two years at MLS side Orlando City sandwiched in-between, but Pato has few regrets. Speaking about his career in 2022, he shrugged: “The way I see it, I have a lot of Ballon d’Ors. If life is a game, I have won.”

18

Rafael van der Vaart – 2003

Ajax

Action Images / Richard Heathcote via REUTERS

With a name like Rafael van der Vaart, the Dutchman was destined to be memorable. The first-ever winner of the award in question, the 109-cap Netherlands international rose through the ranks at Ajax and went on to play for clubs like Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid and Hamburg. He was some player on his day, capable of scoring rockets when he felt like it.

With 545 appearances, 174 goals, and 120 assists to his name by the end of his career, he decided to hang up his boots for good in 2018 following a brief spell at the Danish side, Esbjerg fB. Sure, he might not be the best Golden Boy winner of all time, but he was still a quality player.

17

Mario Gotze – 2011

Borussia Dortmund

Reuters / Action Images / Ed Sykes Livepic

You’d think scoring the winning goal in a World Cup final at the age of 22 would translate to a fruitful career. Sadly, for Mario Gotze, just one player tipped for greatness in 2012, his time as a professional footballer has been a tale of untapped potential and a string of injuries since he sealed the deal for his nation in Brazil.

The period between winning the Golden Boy accolade and holding the World Cup aloft was perhaps his most profitable as a player, winning consecutive Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund and finishing runner-up in the Champions League final.

Now in his mid-30s, he is still plying his trade in the German top flight with Eintracht Frankfurt but has hardly had the career many thought he would have had when he found the back of the net against Argentina in 2014.

16

Isco – 2012

Malaga

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

There will be those of you who look specifically at Isco’s time at Real Madrid and think he failed to live up to expectations. He won the Golden Boy award just a year after signing for Malaga, and in 2013, he was an integral part of Spain’s U21 European Championship win.

However, while it is true he didn’t quite reach the heights expected of him at Madrid, becoming more of a squad player in his last few years at Los Blancos and only hitting 53 goals and 57 assists during his nine-year career at the Bernabeu, he did play a part in all five of his Champions League wins with Madrid.

And now, after a tough time at Sevilla, where he claimed a director assaulted him, he rediscovered his best form at Real Betis and is a La Liga standout once again.

15

Matthijs de Ligt – 2018

Ajax

REUTERS/Eva Plevier

The Ajax side of 2018/19 had the football sphere reverberating with enthusiasm. Erik ten Hag’s young, fearless, and exciting side that played with that kind of naive freedom few teams do these days made a refreshing change. Matthijs de Ligt was a cornerstone of that team, and regardless of his tender years, featured in 55 games for the Amsterdam outfit.

A move to Juventus proved to be underwhelming, however, with the Dutchman never looking as assured at the back as he did for Ajax. There were also struggles during his two years at Bayern Munich, before a now injury-plagued spell at Man United.