England and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham awarded prestigious Golden Boy accolade

Jude Bellingham has received the 2023 Golden Boy award, given to the best football player in Europe under the age of 21.

The England midfielder has been in exceptional form for Real Madrid since moving in the summer transfer window, scoring 13 goals in 14 appearances across all competitions.

His goals this season include three in the UEFA Champions League group stage, including a last-gasp winner against Union Berlin.

Bellingham, who is missing England’s UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia with a shoulder injury, will receive his Golden Boy award at a ceremony in Turin on December 4.

"I'd like to thank everyone that's been part of my journey so far at Birmingham, Dortmund and now Madrid," Bellingham said. "It wouldn't be possible without them - there's so many that I'd be here for hours naming them all.

"Lastly, and most importantly, my family who give me the support and motivation and the love every day to keep striving.

"Now that I've got this beautiful award, I want to keep going and pushing the limits of my potential and hopefully there's many more trophies to come."

It will be his second individual accolade in as many months, having been given the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best under-21 football player in the world, at the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony. This was based on his performances for his former club Borussia Dortmund.

The Golden Boy award was established by Italian outlet Tuttosport in 2003, with 50 journalists voting on the winner. The inaugural recipient was Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart, with Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Aguero also among the previous winners. Barcelona’s Gavi collected the 2022 award.

Raheem Sterling was the last English recipient, earning the accolade in 2014 when he was at Liverpool.

Bellingham beat fellow young stars such as Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala, Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund, Chelsea’s Levi Colwill, Brighton’s Evan Ferguson and Paris Saint-Germain’s Warren Zaire-Emery to this year’s award.

A number of other awards were announced alongside the Golden Boy accolade, with Arsenal's sporting director Edu Gaspar winning Best European Manager and Brighton's Tony Bloom named Best European President.

Linda Caicedo received the Golden Girl award, marking more success for Real Madrid.

The 18-year-old has been an influential player for the Liga F side since joining from Deportivo Cali in February.

She also shone at the 2023 Women’s World Cup for Colombia this summer, earning a nomination for the FIFA Puskas Award after her fantastic goal against Germany in the group stage.

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