Jude Bellingham is on track to accomplish something that only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have done.
On Monday, England and Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham received the Golden Boy award for the best under-21 player in Europe’s premier tier for 2023.
As a result, Bellingham, who has 15 goals in 17 Real Madrid games this season, is the first English player to win the award since Raheem Sterling in 2014.
Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland are among the other prominent winners.
Of course, now that he’s received his newest honor, Bellingham has the chance to outdo Messi.
Messi won the Golden Boy title in 2005, but it took another four years for him to win the first of his eight Ballon d’Ors. Notably, five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo was never voted Golden Boy.
Bellingham, on the other hand, has a chance to become the first player in history to win both the Golden Boy and the Ballon d’Or in the same year.
The 20-year-old has emerged as one of the favourites to win the title in 2024, though he will almost certainly have heavy opposition in the coming years from Manchester City attacker Erling Haaland and Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe.
Bellingham has already excelled in the Spanish city since joining from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, and he is anticipated to play a key role for England at Euro 2024 next year.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has been a part of my journey so far at Birmingham, Dortmund, and now Madrid,” Bellingham stated after being named Golden Boy. It couldn’t happen without them.
“Lastly and most importantly my family who give me the support motivation and love every day to keep striving.
“Now I have this prestigious award I want to keep going. I want to keep pushing the limits of my potential and hopefully many more trophies to come.”
