Jude Bellingham earned the 2023 Golden Boy award following a year of outstanding efforts.

Bellingham won the Golden Boy award ahead of other outstanding nominees such as Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich) and Alejandro Balde (Barcelona). Bellingham received 97% of the votes cast, or 485 points, trailing Jamal Musiala by 200 points. The midfielder, born in 2004, shone at the 2022 World Cup, helping England reach the quarterfinals. He was a key figure in the Bundesliga title battle last season and is now playing well in the Real Madrid jersey.

The award was created 20 years ago by the Italian sports publication Tuttosport and is voted on by 50 sports journalists from throughout Europe. “I just want to thank everyone who voted for me,” the England midfielder said in a video statement posted on tuttosport.com. This is very appreciated.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has helped me along the way in Birmingham, Dortmund, and now Madrid.” Without them, I would not have been able to earn this prize. There are so many people who have helped me that I could spend hours identifying them all.

“The most important thing to me is my family, people who always support me, give me more motivation, and love me every day to keep striving.” Now that I’ve received this amazing prize, I want to keep working and fulfill my full potential, possibly winning many more titles.

Jude Bellingham has had an enormous impact since joining Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in the summer in a deal costing more than 100 million Euros. The Englishman scored 13 goals in 14 games in all competitions, including a hat trick against Barcelona.

At the Ballon d’Or awards event last month, Bellingham got the Kopa trophy for the world’s greatest young player. After Wayne Rooney in 2004 and Raheem Sterling in 2014, he is the third English footballer to receive the Golden Boy award. The award will be given on December 4 at a ceremony in Turin.