Ranking the 5 Golden Boy winners who failed to match expectations
The Golden Boy award is one of the most prestigious ones a young player can win in their career. Players under the age of 21 who play in any top division across Europe are eligible for the award.
It was established in 2003 by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport as a vote-based system where selected journalists picked the winner. Since then, other renowned newspapers across Europe such as L'Equipe (France), Marca (Spain) and The Times (England) have participated in the voting.
Golden Boy winners of the past ๐
Pedri is in some remarkable company ๐ https://t.co/kf6pAZaatz
From all the nominees, each juror must pick five for the final Golden Boy list, whom they must rank from one to five. The top-ranked player receives ten points, while seven points are awarded for the second-ranked player, five for third, three for fourth and one point for the fifth.
Rafael van der Vaart of Ajax was the first winner of the inaugural Golden Boy award in 2003. Other notable Golden Boy winners include Lionel Messi (2005), Cesc Fabregas (2006), Sergio Aguero (2007) and more recently, Kylian Mbappe (2017) and Erling Haaland (2020).
Pedri was awarded the 2021 Golden Boy award for his stunning year with Spain and Barcelona.
Golden Boy โจ https://t.co/RBgB52CJAt
However, there have been some winners of the Golden Boy award who have faded away over the years. These youngsters made bright starts to their careers, but injury, lack of hunger and poor attitude plagued them.
On that note, here's a look at five such players who have disappointed after winning the Golden Boy award:
#5 Anderson (Manchester United and Brazil)
Anderson began his career in Brazil, coming through the youth ranks at Gremio. He caught the eye of scouts when his goal against Nautico earned Gremio promotion to the Brazilian Serie A in 2005. Thanks to his exploits, Anderson was snapped up by Portuguese giants Porto in 2006, where he made a name for himself as one of Europe's top talents.
After 18 successful, trophy-laden months in Portugal, Anderson was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United for a hefty ยฃ28 million in 2007. The Brazilian made a telling impact on his arrival, making 38 appearances in his first season and dishing out two assists.
Anderson's dynamism and strength in midfield allowed other attackers to flourish and dominate the game. He was key in United's rotation, as they competed for silverware on multiple fronts. His performances this season earned Anderson the Golden Boy award in 2008.
@santishitta ๐ก๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ: Anderson
๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐: Brazilian ๐ง๐ท
๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐: 181
๐๐ผ๐ฎ๐น๐: 9 https://t.co/hAWYK4PQJp
Anderson went on to win four Premier League titles and the 2007-08 UEFA Champions League with Manchester United, among other honours. However, after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013, the Brazilian midfielder found himself out of favour and became surplus to requirements.
That led to a dip in form, and the former Golden Boy winner eventually moved to Internacional in 2015. He played for a few other clubs before retiring in 2019, just 11 years after being named Europe's top young player. It was truly a fall from grace.
#4 Mario Gotze (Borussia Dortmund and Germany)
Mario Gotze was the name on every German football fan's lips in the early 2010s. He came through the ranks at Borussia Dortmund before he was handed his senior debut in 2009 by current Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Gotze went on to play for Dortmund till 2013 before moving to Bayern Munich for three years, only to return to Signal Iduna Park in 2016. The German had a lacklustre four-year second spell with Dortmund, and was released by the club in 2020.
He then signed for PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands the same year in a bid to resurrect his once-promising career.
In 2010/11, at just 18-years old, Mario Gotze played a vital role in Borussia Dortmund winning Bundesliga under Jurgen Klopp with 17 goal contributions
In 2014, he scored the winner in the World Cup Final.
In 2020, he is being released on a free by Dortmund before he's 28. https://t.co/jwF5vUoNLM
Mario Gotze had a remarkable run of form during his first spell at Borussia Dortmund, though. He was instrumental in their Bundesliga triumph in the 2010-11 season, scoring five and providing a stunning 15 assists in 33 appearances. Gotze's performances earned him the Golden Boy award at the end of 2011.
He scored six goals and provided five assists in 17 appearances in what was an injury-stricken 2011-12 campaign for Dortmund. Nevertheless, the Golden Boy winner played his part in consecutive Bundesliga triumphs for BvB.
The 2011 Golden Boy became a national hero for Germany when he netted the winning goal for Die Mannschaft against Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final.
On this day in 2014, Mario Gotze came from the bench at 88th mins to score the World Cup winning goal at 113th mins for Germany against Argentina.
What are your deepest memories of the 2014 FIFA World Cup?
#mondaythoughts #GetSporty #BetSporty
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However, due to persistent injury problems, Gotze's career never really took off as expected, with his special performances coming in sporadic bursts rather than in a torrent.
Gotze currently plays for PSV, where he's striving to help them win the Eredivisie title.