The Golden Boy has always been seen as somewhat of a prestigious award. Young players have always been a hot commodity in the world of football; truth be told, it’s not just football but in the world of athletes in general. After all, when you’re young you have so much potential and if a club or any mentor can harness that potential and direct it properly, the sky’s the limit. Footballers usually peak in their mid-20’s even though players like Aguero, Ronaldo and Messi are slowly extending that peak. If a player seems great early on, everyone is hopeful of him being the next great thing by the time he turns 25, which is basically what happened with players like Ozil, Bale, Hazard and Neymar to name a few. While it’s not guaranteed that a great young player will blossom into something special as the years go by, it definitely is something to root for. Also, consider that over the years, the gaps between the experienced and young players are being bridged with the youngsters showing great maturity and composure in the way they play. Of course, the biggest symbol for this statement is Mbappe who was brilliant and instrumental in the World Cup despite being a teenager at the time. This award is to be given to the player that impressed and dazzled everyone despite being young and far from retirement and the contenders look great. Without further set-up let’s take a look at some of the top contenders for the Golden Boy Award 2019.
#5. Mason Mount (Chelsea):
It didn’t take very long for Mason Mount to become one of Chelsea’s current marquee players. He has been performing week-in-week out this season and he definitely should be a favourite for the award. He’s an adept attacking midfielder who can move further upfront and score goals. His wingplay is very strong in large part due to his pace and dribbling. The 20-year old has already scored 3 goals for Chelsea in just 6 games performing consistently well as the PL 2019-20 is climbing out of it’s infancy.
#4. Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid):
Joao Felix dropped jaws with his gargantuan 126 million euro move to Atletico Madrid after doing something similar to football fans with his performances with Benfica. The teenage attacking midfielder managed 15 goals and 7 assists in the past season with Benfica with many touting him as the next Cristiano Ronaldo thanks to his passing, speed, dribbling and general offensive play. Even in the first few games with ATM, he’s done well, having scored 2 goals and 1 assist. And who can forget his hattrick against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League? He definitely has set the bar even higher for teenage talent.
#3. Kai Havertz ( Bayer Leverkusen):
Kai Havertz seems highly likely to follow in the footsteps of Michael Ballack and Toni Kroos as the next great to come out of Bayer Leverkusen. Some would argue that he already has. He’s a fantastic playmaker who can dominate a frontal assault just as much as the central midfield, which is his primary position. His wingplay on either sides has been strong thanks to his vision and passing skills. He’s one of those players who can pick the right gaps and find the right players despite being burdened by a lot of opposition players in front of him. Thanks to his set of skills, he scored a mammoth 17 goals and 3 assists in the 2018-19 season and has already had 1 goal in the current one. The 20-year-old is definitely a great pick for Golden Boy.
#2. Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund):
Talk about taking the football world by storm. Sancho became huge in the Bundesliga after parting ways with Manchester City and Dortmund fans are happier for it. The teenager has great pace and his dribbling is excellent with a wide array of tricks and skill moves making his on-the-ball movements a joy to watch. He has very strong offensive sensibilities and has been crucial to Dortmund’s playstyle over the course of the past season. The Englishman scored 12 goals and 14 assists last season with Reus and Co. proving that Dortmund had one of the best bargains when they signed him for 7 million pounds. Even in the current season, he has already had 3 goals and 4 assists in just 5 games, distinguishing himself even atop most of the Bundesliga’s veterans.
#1. Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus):
He won the Golden Boy last time and it seems the 20-year-old defender is going to double down. The Dutchman was captain for Ajax’s fairytale season in 2018-19 where they surprised everyone by advancing all the way to the semi-finals, beating the likes of Real Madrid and a Ronald-led Juventus. His read was sharp, as was his tackling. He played the role of the aggressive defender to a tee, earning a whopping 76 million pound move to Juventus. While he hasn’t completely settled in at Turin so far, the game-count has been too short to rule out the probability of greatness. A (then)teenager who nearly led the unlikely Ajax all the way to UCL glory by example whilst also winning the league in the Netherlands, and then he had one of the most expensive transfers for a defender when he went to Juventus? Taking the Golden Boy away from him is not going to be easy.
