2010 Golden Boy Balotelli beat Wilshere into second and said: ‘What’s his name... Wil? When I play Arsenal, perhaps I will show him trophy and remind him I won it’
IT reads like a who’s who of recent European football royalty but one thing is for sure – the Golden Boy award rarely misses its mark.
In the 19 years it has been voted on by European journalists and handed out by Italian newspaper, Tuttosport, the recognition of the hottest Under-21 talent in Europe has produced a starstudded list.
From perhaps the greatest player of all time in Lionel Messi, to his Argentina team-mate and scorer of the Premier
League’s most famous goal, Sergio Aguero; from world-record transfer fee
Paul Pogba to his
France World
Cup-winning teammate, Kylian
Mbappe; from
England strikers
Wayne Rooney and
Raheem Sterling to the current hottest striker in the world, Erling Haaland, the list is golden.
Haaland was so impressive two years ago that he was crowned in a top 10 that included his then-dortmund team-mate Jadon Sancho, his new Manchester City strike partner, Phil Foden, as well as Real Madrid’s
Vinicius Jr.
Haaland tweeted a picture of himself at the time with the trophy (right) and a one-word response: “Proud”.
He then added:
“This is pure inspiration to work even harder and try to always do better.”
City fans would agree he has lived up to that creed.
Another City striker,
Mario Balotelli, won the award just as he moved from Inter Milan to Manchester in 2010, and beat Arsenal teenager Jack
Wilshere into second place.
But, somewhat typically of the precocious young
Italian, he was less than gracious about it, and merely wondered why it had taken so long. “What’s his name? Wil...?” Balotelli (above) replied when asked about Wilshere (below).
“No, I don’t know him, but the next time I play against Arsenal I will keep a close eye on him. Perhaps I can show him the Golden Boy trophy and remind him that I won it.”
And as for those who had gone before him? “There’s only one that is a little stronger than me: Messi (left). All the others are behind me.
“I am delighted to receive the award, but who should have won it but me?
“Two years ago I finished sixth and then fourth in 2009.
“It was finally my turn. My aim is that this prize will transform itself into the Ballon d’or. To have won this award is a good omen to achieve that.”
Sterling was at Liverpool when he was crowned the winner in 2014, a week after his 20th birthday and said: “It’s a great achievement to win such an award.
“Something I’ve always wanted to do is to work hard playing football and try to be recognised.
“It’s down to hard work.”
PREVIOUS P WINNERS
2003 Rafael van der Vaart 202004
Wayne Rooney 2005 Lionel Messi
2006 Cesc Fabregas
2007 Sergio Aguero
2008 Anderson
2009 Alexandre Pato
2010 Mario Balotelli
2011 Mario Gotze
2012 Isco
2013 Paul Pogba
2014 Raheem Sterling
2015 Anthony Martial 2016 Renato Sanches 2017 Kylian Mbappe
2018 Matthijs de Ligt 2019 Joao Felix
2020 Erling Haaland
2021 Pedri