Some of the best players to ever lace up a pair of boots have been recognized with the Golden Boy award since its inception in 2003.

Created by Italian newspaper Tuttosport, the award honors the best young talent in soccer. Players under the age of 21 and playing in one of Europe’s top-flight leagues are eligible to take home the honor, voted for by journalists from publications across the continent.

Over the last 23 years, Golden Boy winners have gone on to become legends of the game. In fact, some players are already superstars when they lift the individual accolade.

The exclusive list of previous winners includes Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, with many bestowed with the prize going on to succeed for years to come.

Here’s a full rundown of the award’s history.

Golden Boy Winners

Year	Player	Club
2026	Pau Cubarsí	Barcelona
2025	Désiré Doué	Paris Saint-Germain
2024	Lamine Yamal	Barcelona
2023	Jude Bellingham	Borussia Dortmund/Real Madrid
2022	Gavi	Barcelona
2021	Pedri	Barcelona
2020	Erling Haaland	Borussia Dortmund
2019	João Félix	Benfica/Atlético Madrid
2018	Matthijs de Ligt	Ajax
2017	Kylian Mbappé	Monaco/Paris Saint-Germain
2016	Renato Sanches	Benfica/Bayern Munich
2015	Anthony Martial	Monaco/Manchester United
2014	Raheem Sterling	Liverpool
2013	Paul Pogba	Juventus
2012	Isco	Málaga
2011	Mario Götze	Borussia Dortmund
2010	Mario Balotelli	Inter Milan/Manchester City
2009	Alexandre Pato	AC Milan
2008	Anderson	Manchester United
2007	Sergio Agüero	Atlético Madrid
2006	Cesc Fàbregas	Arsenal
2005	Lionel Messi	Barcelona
2004	Wayne Rooney	Everton/Manchester United
2003	Rafael van der Vaart	Ajax

What Club Has the Most Golden Boy Winners?

Rank	Club	Winners	Tally
1	Barcelona	Yamal, Gavi, Pedri, Messi, Cubarsí	5
T-2	Borussia Dortmund	Bellingham, Haaland, Götze	3
T-2	Manchester United	Martial, Anderson, Rooney	3
T-4	Ajax	De Ligt, Van Der Vaart	2
T-4	Atlético Madrid	Félix, Agüero	2
T-4	Monaco	Mbappé, Martial	2
T-4	Benfica	Félix, Sanches	2

Uniquely, the Golden Boy award takes into consideration a full calendar year compared to the Kopa Trophy which is based on a full season.

Barcelona lead the way with five Golden Boy winners. When Yamal took home the honor in 2024, the Catalans broke their tie with Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United to become the club with the most recipients in the award’s history. That lead was extended by Cubarsí’s victory in 2026.

Dortmund and Man Utd remain tied in second place with three winners each. The Red Devils’ last recipient came a decade ago, though, when Martial won the award in 2015. Bellingham, meanwhile, snagged the accolade for BVB (and Real Madrid) in 2023.

Ajax, Atlético Madrid, Monaco and Benfica are level in fourth place with two winners each.

Who Is the Youngest Golden Boy Winner?

Yamal became the youngest player to win the Golden Boy award when he received the honor in 2024. The Spaniard claimed the piece of silverware at 17 years and 137 days old.

The previous record was held by Yamal’s Barcelona teammate Gavi, who was named the 2022 Golden Boy at 18 days and 77 years old.

In the trophy’s 23-year history, Yamal is the only 17-year-old to ever win the Golden Boy award. He was not nominated for the honor in 2025 and 2026 because no player can win the award twice.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Golden Boy Award: Full List of Winners, Most Awards Per Club.