The Golden Boy Award was established by Italian newspaper Tuttosport in 2003 and is considered one of the most prestigious accolades a young footballer can win.
The prize is awarded to the best under-21 player based on the continent. Most players have gone on to have illustrious careers, while others have underwhelmed.
Football FanCast has taken a trip down memory lane to revisit the previous 20 winners of the illustrious accolade, which crowns Europe’s most promising talent, in the hope of foreshadowing the next Ballon d’Or winner.
There are a few surprises…
Rafael van der Vaart – 2003
Admittedly, we raised our eyebrows at this one…
The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, Rafael van der Vaart, was a fantastic player but who knew he was held in such high regard as a youngster?
The then-20-year-old became the inaugural award winner in 2003 following a stellar campaign with Ajax, which saw him net 22 goals across 30 appearances – a truly astounding goal return from a midfielder.
Whilst the Dutchman didn’t quite reach the level many expected of him, he still racked up a remarkable 109 caps for his nation and enjoyed a fruitful two-year spell in the Premier League.
It’s also important to note, that Van der Vaart made 73 appearances for Real Madrid, which is arguably the pinnacle of a footballer’s career.
So he didn’t do too badly…
Wayne Rooney – 2004
No surprises with this one…
We all knew Wayne Rooney was once tipped to become a legend of the game, and he achieved virtually everything asked of him, becoming the Three Lions and Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer.
But, there will always be some who question; did he underachieve in his career? Many expected the former Everton and United forward to become the best player in the world, winning accolades such as the Ballon d’Or, but he never quite reached those heights, at least not for a sustained period.
Notwithstanding that, for what it’s worth, we think he’s England’s greatest-ever player.
Lionel Messi – 2005
Needless to say, Lionel Messi achieved everything expected of him and beyond.
The Argentinian is widely considered as the greatest footballer of all time and that mantle only solidified after guiding his nation to a World Cup triumph last year, winning the Golden Ball award in the process.
The 36-year-old now plies his trade in MLS with David Beckham’s newly formed Inter Miami.
Cesc Fàbregas – 2006
Cesc Fabregas wouldn’t be too far off an all-time Premier League XI…
The Spaniard was just 19 years old when he collected the Golden Boy award, but quite remarkably, was already approaching 100 appearances in England’s top flight.
Read more: Cesc Fabregas’ greatest moments – ranked
The classy midfielder proceeded to enjoy a marvellous, trophy-laden career at the highest level, reaching the pinnacle of football by winning the World Cup in 2010.
Having surpassed over 100 caps for his nation, and won nearly every trophy imaginable – other than the elusive Champions League – it’s fair to say, that Fábregas lived up to his early promise.
Sergio Agüero – 2007
Argentine forward Sergio Aguero won the prestigious accolade after winning the Under-20 World Cup, where he was crowned as top scorer with six goals.
His prolific goal record continued at club level with Atletico Madrid, scoring a whopping 27 goals across the 2007/08 season.
July 2011 saw him depart the Spanish giants in favour of a move to Manchester City, where he established himself as one the greatest players of his generation.
Agüero certainly fulfilled the Golden Boy mantle.
Anderson – 2008
Anderson joined Manchester United in a mega-money move from Porto in 2007 and enjoyed a fruitful debut season, winning the Premier League.
However, having won the Golden Boy Award in 2008, it never really propelled his career and he began to slip down a steady decline, despite being so young.
2019 saw the Brazillian retire and hang his boots up for good, aged just 31, after spells back in his home nation and Turkey following his 2015 United exit.
Despite failing to live up to initial expectations, Anderson enjoyed a trophy-laden career, which many would be envious of.
Alexandre Pato – 2009
Alexandre Pato was tipped to become the world’s best player when he emerged as a promising centre-forward at Milan. And winning the Golden Boy award only solidified those hopes, but after four successive seasons as one of Milan’s leading goalscorers, his form plummeted.
Pato, speaking to the Players’ Tribune earlier this year, spoke candidly about why he underachieved: “Man … those were the days I thought I’d make it to the very top. The expectations were so great, you know? I was the super talent, the sure thing.
“I was already playing for Brazil. The press writes about you, the fans talk about you, even other players hype you up. PATO WILL BE THE BEST IN THE WORLD. PATO WILL WIN THE BALLON D’OR. I loved the attention. I wanted to be talked about.
“But you know what happened? I began dreaming too much. Even though I was still working hard, my imagination was taking me all kinds of places. In my head, I was already holding the Ballon d’Or. You can’t help it, man. It’s very hard not to get affected.
“Also, I had suffered like hell to get there. Why should I not enjoy it? When I became the Golden Boy as the best young player in Europe, in 2009, I didn’t think about the Ballon d’Or. I was just having fun and OPA! — a prize. I was unstoppable when I was living in the present. But my head got stuck in the future.”
Mario Balotelli – 2010
Italian forward Mario Balotelli was a chaotic character to say the least, notwithstanding that, he was also a highly regarded youngster who was tipped to claim the Ballon d’Or.
2010 saw the then-Manchester City striker collect the Golden Boy award but his early promise was never really fulfilled and he now plies his trade in Turkey with Adana Demirspor, aged 33.
Speaking on the Muschio Selvaggio Podcast, Balotelli claimed that ‘too often’ he played at 20% of his capabilities.
Mario Götze – 2011
Mario Götze is another who struggled to reach the lofty heights expected of him, though, injuries amongst other factors certainly played a part in his unfulfilled potential.
Now aged 31, the German is back in his home nation with Eintracht Frankfurt after a two-year spell at PSV, where he netted 18 times in 77 appearances.
Götze’s career highlight will certainly live long in the memories of German fans, as he netted the winner in the 2014 World Cup final against Argentina.
Isco – 2012
Isco played a pivotal role in Malaga’s 2011/12 Champions League quarter-final campaign and was the jewel of Spain’s Under-21 side leading up to the prestigious award ceremony.
The Spaniard would earn a £23m switch to LaLiga giants Real Madrid a year later, where he continued to establish himself as one of Europe’s brightest prospects.
Whilst he did enjoy a glittering nine-year stay in Madrid, many would argue he didn’t maximise his full potential.