It is official: Joao Felix is the winner of the 2019 Golden Boy award. The Portuguese starlet was one of many promising young players nominated for the award and has now beaten out several talents to scoop up this accolade.
The 20-year-old enjoyed an excellent campaign with Benfica last season. An academy graduate from the Eagles, he notched up 15 goals and seven assists for the Primeira Liga giants last term which caught the eyes of his current employers.
Los Rojiblancos were looking for the right man to replace Antoine Griezmann and so the Spanish giants decided to fork out a huge transfer fee to land the talented youngster, splashing a whopping $146M to bring him to the Spanish capital. So far he has three goals under his belt with Diego Simeone's side.
BREAKING: Joao Felix has won the 2019 Golden Boy award pic.twitter.com/AVaPpieGeW
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 27, 2019
Not everyone agreed with the decision to hand the 2019 Golden Boy award to Felix, however. Some argue that the Tuttosport prize, which is awarded after voting by journalists, should have gone elsewhere due to the names Joao beat out.
In second place was Jadon Sancho, who some felt should have been the recipient, with Bayer Leverkusen's Kai Havertz coming in third. Erling Braut Håland, who will likely be the frontrunner for next year's prize after his meteoric rise this season, came in at fourth.
Joao Felix in 2019...
— The Sportsman Bet (@TheSportsmanBet) November 27, 2019
- Games: 42
- Goals: 20
- Assists: 11
- Youngest player to score a hat-trick in Europa League history
- Nations League winner
- Sealed a move to Atletico Madrid for €126m
And he's just won the Golden Boy award! pic.twitter.com/8XlUENAJPd
Joao Felix: 4 goals + assists in all comps this season
— (@UtdChart) November 26, 2019
Mason Greenwood: 5 goals + assists in all comps this season
One went for 113 million euros in the summer and the other cost nothing
Just because a player doesn't cost 100 million doesn't mean he's not good enough pic.twitter.com/1ua5eKvDlm
Joao Felix's PR is unreal, I what exactly did he do to win the Golden Boy award ahead of Sancho or Kai Havertz?
— ONOME (@MeetOnome) November 27, 2019
BREAKING: Joao Felix has been named the 2019 Golden Boy.
— Oddschanger (@Oddschanger) November 27, 2019
Jadon Sancho came in 2nd, with Kai Havertz coming in 3rd place.
Well deserved?
pic.twitter.com/isfjLjwloH
Sancho put up 14 assists and 12 goals in the Bundesliga in 2018/19. And has 4 goals 5 assist this season, yet doesn't win the Golden Boy award lol.
— Junior Maruwa (@elchaupo) November 27, 2019
Did Joao Felix really deserve the Golden boy award ahead of Jadon Sancho ?
— Portuguese~Maniche (@Maniche4) November 27, 2019
Joao Felix wins the #GoldenBoy 2019 award for being invisible half of the year.
— M•A•J (@Ultra_Suristic) November 27, 2019
Joao Felix has been named the 2019 Golden Boy...
— ODDSbible (@ODDSbible) November 27, 2019
This man has been robbed pic.twitter.com/x92HCByFjJ
Matthijs de Ligt, who won this accolade last year, completed the top five after sealing a mega-money move to Juventus. Barcelona's breakout teenager Ansu Fati came in sixth in the voting while Phil Foden was the highest-ranked Premier League youngster, coming in at seventh. AC Milan's Gianluigi Donnarumma, Roma's Nicolo Zaniolo, and PSV's Donyell Maylen completed the top 10.