The Golden Boy award is given by sports journalists to the most impressive young footballer in Europe over a calendar year.
There have been several recipients of the prestigious prize who have gone on to achieve Hall of Fame careers, so it is an accolade that is held in high regard.
Golden Boy shortlist for 2021
There were originally 100 players named on the shortlist for the 2021 Golden Boy award by Italian newspaper Tuttosport..
That was then cut to 80, then 60 and then 40 before the final shortlist of 20 was released.
The final Golden Boy Shortlist of 20 includes Jude Bellingham, Mason Greenwood, Eduardo Camavinga and Pedri among the notable names.
Golden Boy award: Past winners
Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero are some of the players who won the award as youngsters and went on to become global stars.
There are some other impressive names among the past victors. Some other winners, though, did not go on to achieve their full potential.
That makes looking back through Golden Boy history an intriguing topic, with a real mix of names and outcomes proving that bursting onto the scene at a young age is not always a guarantee of long-term success.
As with most awards, the forward players tend to take centre stage, with 10 of the previous 18 winners being attacking stars.
Matthijs de Ligt became the first defender to win in 2018 after a series of stellar performances in Ajax’s fairytale Champions League run and seven midfielders have also come out on top.
A goalkeeper has never finished in first place.
France have produced the most winners (three) - Kylian Mbappe, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial. There has never been a winner from Belgium despite their recent golden generation.
Manchester United are the club who have had the most winners. Three players have triumphed for the Red Devils: Wayne Rooney (2004), Anderson (2008) and Martial (2015). They have a fourth Golden Boy in Pogba, but he was with Juventus when he triumphed in 2013.
Fascinatingly, Cristiano Ronaldo was never named as European football's Golden Boy.
What is the Golden Boy award?
The prize was established by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport in 2003, with Ajax starlet Rafael van der Vaart taking home the inaugural trophy.
The rules are simple. All nominees must be under the age of 21 and play in a European top division, with most past winners coming from the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A or Ligue 1.
Traditionally, a player can only win the award once, so once Golden Boy status has been achieved, the award ensures attention can move to other young players who deserve to be highlighted.
This stops, for example, a star 17-year-old winning the award three years on the bounce.
The award names the player who the jury believes is the brightest young talent in world football.
How is the Golden Boy award decided and who votes?
The winner of the award is determined by a vote. Each voter will allocate 10 points to the player they deem most impressive, with 7 for second, 5 for third, 3 for fourth and 1 for fifth.
Voters will be sports journalists from a host of Europe’s most well-respected newspapers, including Bild (Germany), l’Equipe (France) and Marca (Spain).
When is the Golden Boy trophy awarded?
A shortlist of players is comprised every year with the final list of candidates usually available around October and the award ceremony typically taking place in November.
Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland came out on top in 2020.