As predicted by many football pundits and experts, England national team and new Real Madrid starboy Jude Bellingham won the precious 2023 Golden Boy award following his outstanding performance in the calendar year of 2023 with club and country. The 20-year-old midfielder fended off strong competitions from fellow contenders such as Jamal Musiala from Germany and Bayern Munich, Xavi Simons from Netherlands and RB Leipzig (On loan from Paris Saint-Germain), Alejandro Balde from Spain and Barcelona, Rasmus Højlund from Norway and Manchester United, Mathys Tel from France and Bayern Munich, etc. on his way to win the Golden Boy award this year. It is worth mentioning that Balde and Musiala complete the podium of the 2023 Golden Boy award.
Undisputed Winner of the 2023 Golden Boy
Jude Bellingham received a total of 485 votes for his 2023 Golden Boy victory, that is, a conversion of 97% of the total votes available, and only five journalists did not vote for him in first place. The 2023 Golden Boy also meant Jude Bellingham became only the third ever Englishman to receive the huge honour, with the rest of the two being Wayne Rooney and Raheem Sterling in 2004 and 2014 respectively. Besides, the England midfielder is the first player in history to win the trophy as a player of 35-time Spanish La Liga champions Real Madrid.
The 2023 Golden Boy award certainly capped off an impressive year for Jude Bellingham, having also won the 2023 Kopa Trophy earlier this year. His impressive stats in winning the accolade includes 14 goals and seven assists in 42 games for Borussia Dortmund in the 2022/2023 Season, 15 goals and four assists in 17 games for Real Madrid in the 2023/2024 Season thus far as well as one goal and three assists in his previous two games for England, including a couple of the latter that saw the Three Lions through to the UEFA Euro 2024 Finals with a 3-1 Wembley revenge over the defending European champions Italy.
Amongst these incredible statistics at the tender age of 19 to 20 years old, his adaptation into the Spanish club football system stood out the most. Despite playing as a midfielder, the 2023 Golden Boy award winner Bellingham has more goals that club legend and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo in his first 15 games for Los Blancos; The Birmingham City academy graduate completed a £115-million move to the 14-time European Cup / UEFA Champions League winners Real last summer transfer window after a three-season spell at German outfit Dortmund, and his impressive progress this season thus far might earn him the right of the best summer signing in 2023/2024.
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Bellingham on His 2023 Golden Boy Victory: “Wayne Rooney Was Probably My Biggest Influence Growing Up.”
Speaking on his victory in receiving the 2023 Golden Boy award, Jude Bellingham cited former captain of the Three Lions and Manchester United Wayne Rooney as one of his biggest inspirations in his professional career. “It’s about trying to make my team and country the best teams in the world and to be the best player in the world you have to help your teams win and to join that list is such a big honour. I think Wayne Rooney was probably my biggest influence growing up, obviously being from England and the way he played, the way he fought, but there are so many other players that I’ve taken bits from.”
The 20-year-old star also added his aspirations for club and country going forward. Bellingham said: “I’m really grateful for everything football has given me so far in my life and the support from my family to keep playing and keep enjoying it has been huge. I’m proud to win the Golden Boy award. My secret is the responsibility since I was a kid in the Academy. I love that. I want to get better every day and help Real Madrid. My focus is on that. Real Madrid is the best club in the world. I’m proud to play for Madrid. I want to win all the trophies with my club and the England national team.”
Bellingham’s former club Borussia Dortmund recently became the first team to qualify for the UEFA Champions League Last 16 from the Group of Death in 2023. This came after their 3-1 victory over AC Milan on Matchday 5 and you can read about the full match details here: https://www.otherleague.com/soccer/borussia-dortmund-in-ucl-last-16/
⚪️⭐️ Jude Bellingham: “I’m proud to win the Golden Boy Award”.
“My secret is the responsability since I was a kid in the Academy. I love that”.
“I wanna get better every day and help Real Madrid. My focus is on that”. pic.twitter.com/wFK6WpXSs4
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 4, 2023
What Is Next for Bellingham’s England and Real Madrid?
Jude Bellingham’s England will not play a game until March 2024, where they will be taking on five-time FIFA World Cup champions Brazil at Wembley Stadium for an international friendly, meaning the English midfielder will have full focus on his club side at Real Madrid for a good three months or so.
In terms of club level, the 2023 Golden Boy award winner’s Los Blancos currently sit at the top of the Spanish La Liga table at 38 points after 15 matches, and they will be travelling to Benito Villamarín and Olympiastadion Berlin to face Real Betis Balompié and Union Berlin for their following games in the league as well as the top-tiered European club football competition. Carlo Ancelotti’s side will also have another couple of games before they close the calendar year of 2023 for good.
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