To nobody’s surprise, 17-year-old Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal was crowned Europe’s “Golden Boy” for 2024 (presented by Italian sports outlet Tuttosport) on Monday night — though bizarrely he was handed the trophy several weeks before the awards ceremony actually took place — while Barça Femení star Vicky López scooped the third edition of the women’s award: the Golden Girl.
Yamal’s remarkable contributions to Barcelona’s 2023-24 campaign and, more importantly, Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph — almost all of which took place before he turned 17 years of age — ensured the idea of picking literally anyone else felt ludicrous. He reportedly accrued 97.6% of the votes from journalists in a landslide victory, further cementing Barcelona’s dominance of the award. Three of the last four Golden Boy awards have been given to Barça players: Pedri, then Gavi, now Yamal.
Meanwhile, López, 18, followed Wolfsburg’s Jule Brand and Real Madrid’s Linda Caicedo by landing the women’s award after a stellar season that saw her win the UEFA Women’s Champions League, Liga F, Copa de la Reina, and Supercopa de España, as well as the UEFA Nations League with Spain.
So, looking ahead to 2025, will Barcelona’s dominance continue, or is the stage set…
