Borussia Dortmund and Norway striker Erling Haaland wins 2020 Golden Boy award
Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland has beaten off fierce competition from the likes of Alphonso Davies and Jadon Sancho to win the 2020 Golden Boy award.
The prize, presented by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport since 2003, celebrates the best footballer under the age of 21 in one of Europe's top-flight leagues per UEFA coefficient, and is decided by a panel of global experts.
Haaland scored some 44 goals in all competitions in 2019/20, including 16 in 18 appearances after making the switch to BVB from Red Salzburg at the turn of the year.
Of all players last season to have tallied 10 or more Bundesliga goals, only Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski boasted a superior minutes-per-goal record than the Norway international, who has already struck 11 times in as many appearances so far in 2020/21.
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Inheriting the crown from Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid/ Portugal), Haaland, 20, becomes the third Bundesliga-based player to receive the award after Mario Götze (2011) and Renato Sanches (2016).
Other nominees included Davies - a 2019/20 Bundesliga, DFB Cup and UEFA Champions League treble winner with Bayern; Dortmund teammate Sancho, who produced 17 goals and 16 assists in last season’s Bundesliga; and Barcelona teenager Ansu Fati.
Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi are former winners of the coveted trophy.
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