Barcelona midfielder Gavi wins Golden Boy award

Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Gavi won the 2022 Golden Boy award on Friday.

"Gavi is the Golden Boy... FC Barcelona has another Golden Boy. In a week in which he already won the Kopa Trophy, Gavi's status as the best young footballer in the world has been further cemented by this second award," Barcelona said in a statement.

It said Gavi, 18, beat Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham, and Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala to seal this award.

In the 2021-22 season, Gavi played 47 matches for Barcelona to score two goals and make six assists.

He was promoted to Barcelona's senior team in the 2021 summer.

Separately, Gavi is playing for the Spanish national team.

Meanwhile, he became the third Barcelona player to have won the Golden Boy award after Lionel Messi took this honor in 2005, and Pedri in 2021.

Messi was a longtime Barcelona forward but left the club for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.

Established in 2003, the Golden Boy award is presented each year by the Italian sports daily Tuttosport to the best U21 player.

Wayne Rooney, Messi, Sergio Aguero, Paul Pogba, Raheem Sterling, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland are also among the previous winners of the award.

The first Golden Boy was former Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart. A 2010 FIFA World Cup silver medalist van der Vaart, now 39, won the prestigious award as an Ajax player in 2003.