The thrill and anticipation of soccer would undoubtedly be incomplete without the ever-growing excitement regarding the upcoming talents in the game. Top clubs have begun spending extravagant amounts on poaching prodigies and investing staggering fees in their potential with the hope of witnessing them become the greatest players in soccer’s history.
Italian newspaper, Tuttosport presents the ‘Golden Boy’ award to a youngster perceived to be the best performer in a calendar year. Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham is the current holder of the title, having won it in 2023. While, more often than not, the talk is around the Golden Boy winners who did not meet their expectations, there have been several winners who have gone on to fulfill their sky-high potential. Here is a look at three of them.
Lionel Messi
When a young Lionel Messi was awarded the Golden Boy in 2005, few would have imagined the kind of impact the little man from Barcelona would go on to have on soccer. Messi had his breakthrough season with the Catalan club during 2004/05 which earned him plaudits from the soccer community. Even at the tender age of 18, his talent and genius were undeniable.
Fast forward 19 years, the Argentinian captain has firmly established himself as the greatest player of all time. From the World Cup to the Copa America to the UEFA Champions League, Messi’s cabinet includes every possible glory. No other player in the history of the game can match the 36-year-old’s individual honors which include eight Ballon d’Or, and six European Golden Boots among others.
Kylian Mbappe
The French captain was crowned the Golden Boy of soccer in the year 2017 courtesy of his extraordinary campaign with Ligue 1 club, Monaco. Mbappe was considered by many at the time as the next in line to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and the forward has left little scope for argument to that claim.
Currently 25 years old, Mbappe already has a FIFA World Cup, seven Ligue 1 titles, a FIFA World Cup Golden Boot, six Ligue 1 Golden Boots, and numerous other accolades to his name. His recent transfer to Real Madrid has opened up the path to him achieving even greater success on the club level. It is fair to say that Kylian Mbappe has lived up to the projections surrounding his career, with a long road still ahead of him.
Sergio Aguero
Sergio Aguero caught the eyes of soccer fans during his stint with Atletico Madrid as a youth prospect. He was awarded the Golden Boy in 2007 as a testament to his unmatched potential at the time. Aguero arrived at Atletico Madrid from the Argentinian club, Independiente in the year 2006 as an 18-year-old boy who would go on to break a plethora of records in Europe.
It was at Manchester City where Sergio Aguero cemented his place with the best center forwards in the business. He was an integral part of City’s rise to the big stage and won five Premier League titles during his stay in England. The 36-year-old’s 260 goals in 390 appearances makes him the all-time top goalscorer for Manchester City and a beloved icon for the club’s faithful.