5 Last Golden Boy Winners And Where Are They Now?
The Golden Boy is awarded every calendar year to the best football player in Europe under the age of 21. The Golden Boy awardees have always had a large amount of hype around them. After all, being labelled the best young player in Europe will obviously come with a mountain of pressure. More often than not, the awardees have gone on to shine but, there have been a few who haven't quite lived up to their potential.
In this article, let us look at the last five Golden Boy winners and where they are now, to see if they have truly lived up to their billing as the best young player in the world.
#5 Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba may now seem like a Manchester United player through and through. However, there was a time when he was the golden boy of Italian football, at Juventus. In fact, it was during his time there he was the winner of the Golden Boy award, in 2013.
Since then, he went on to complete a then world record transfer of €105 million back to Manchester United. Now 25 years old, he has shown glimpses of his potential at Manchester United and is generally considered a world class midfielder. He has yet to become the best midfielder in the world though, and that was what was expected of him.
Despite helping France to win the World Cup in 2018, at club level his performances are yet to reach the heights that were expected from him.
#4 Raheem Sterling
Once the darling of Anfield, Raheem Sterling broke many hearts when he swapped the Reds for the blue of Manchester City. After all, he had won the golden boy award at Liverpool and with Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard, was one of the key players responsible for Liverpool's second-place finish during the 2013-14 season. But, one year later, in 2015, he left for Manchester City, presumably due to contract issues.
That's where he is now. Despite earning his fair share of criticism at Manchester City due to poor form, under Guardiola, he has been excellent. He scored 18 goals in the Premier League, his highest yet in the 2017-18 season as City strolled to the title. He has since become a key player in Guardiola's Manchester City, forming a fierce wing partnership with Leroy Sane. Mahrez's arrival will see him facing more competition this season to retain his position.