Mohamad Abadi | Staff Writer
The Golden Boy award is a yearly award given to the best under-21 football player in the top European leagues. The Italian newspaper, Tuttosport, is the one responsible for it. The award is voted by journalists after they’ve compiled a list of the most impressive young players from the calendar year. It is basically a Ballon D’or but for youngsters. Usually, the winners of this award go on to become great football players like Messi and Rooney; however, there have been many “one-season wonders” who won the award and never found their best form again with the biggest examples being Mario Ballotelli and Anthony Martial.
Barcelona’s eighteen-year-old midfielder Pedri was voted as this year’s Golden Boy award as he succeeded last year’s winner Erling Halaand. Tuttosport revealed that the difference between Pedri and the second place was the biggest margin in the history of the award. Also, Pedri became the first Barcelona player to win this award since Messi in 2005; he was an essential part of both the Barcelona and Spain teams this past year. He played 75 games last season which is more than any other player in the world; however, this had negative implications on him, as he has recently suffered from several injuries due to overworking his body. For Barcelona, the midfielder cemented his spot in the first team after an impressive campaign where he won the Copa del Rey. Moreover, he featured for Spain in the Euros where his performances led him to win as the young player of the tournament. A month later, he was involved in the Olympic team that received the silver medal. His rise to the top did not go unnoticed by Barcelona as they rewarded him with a new improved five-year contract with a release clause of 1.1 billion dollars to scare away any interested clubs and ensure the audience that they will hold onto him.
Recently, there have been doubts about how long he will last in the footballing world because of his new injuries, but his determination and work ethic surpass any other normal player. Pedri’s future looks bright as he has been compared to his idol Andreas Iniesta because of their similar playstyle, and hopefully, he will continue to shine under the new manager and Barcelona legend Xavi. Alongside, Bayern Munich is reportedly interested in signing Pedri, so who knows what the future holds for him.