Wayne Rooney, Declan Rice, and Trent Alexander-Arnold react as Jude Bellingham wins 2023 Golden Boy award
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Declan Rice, and Wayne Rooney were among a slew of superstars to congratulate Jude Bellingham after his 2023 Golden Boy Award win.
The votes were counted last month, and the Real Madrid midfielder was adjudged to be the winner by a landslide. As per MARCA, he amassed 97% of the total votes and was presented with the award at a ceremony in Turin on Monday night (4 December).
Bellingham became the first Englishman since Raheem Sterling (2014) and the first Real Madrid player ever to win the award since its inception in 2003. After the ceremony, the 20-year-old midfielder posted several photos on his Instagram account. He captioned his post:
"Golden Boy 2023. Beyond grateful, thank you to everyone who’s supported my journey until this point, can’t fully express my appreciation!"
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice commented on the post, saying:
"Fully deserved brother💫❤️"
2018 Golden Boy runner-up Trent Alexander-Arnold, who, like Rice, is Bellingham's teammate at the international level, wrote:
"Man of the year 👑
England and Manchester United legend Waye Rooney commented:
"👏👏👏"
Jude Bellingham is believed to be England's present and the future. He is already a regular fixture in Gareth Southgate's XI and is expected to lead their charge for their first-ever UEFA European Championship next year.
The 27-cap England international is likely to feature in the XI alongside Rice. Alexander-Arnold, however, has historically struggled to find favor under Southgate, who has the likes of Reece James, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker, and Ben White to choose from at right-back.
Jude Bellingham's 2023 Golden Boy award win stops Barcelona hat-trick
No club has supplied more Golden Boy award winners than Barcelona (3). The first of those wins came in the third edition of the award when Lionel Messi was crowned the winner in 2005.
Pedri won it in 2021 while Gavi got his hands on the coveted trophy the following year. But Jude Bellingham's win meant Real Madrid finally had a winner of their own, and for good reason.
The English superstar has plundered 15 goals in 17 matches across competitions since his move to Madrid. Of course, his spell at Borussia Dortmund played a part in his win as well.
Bellingham registered 14 goals and seven assists in 42 games across competitions last season as the German side lost the Bundesliga trophy on goal difference. Meanwhile, Alejandro Balde (7th) and Lamine Yamal (3rd) were Barcelona's representatives in the top 10 rankings of this year's Golden Boy award.