UEFA Golden Boy 2019 Odds

Ahead of the 2019 Golden Boy award announcement we thought we’d look at the bookies’ favourites to win the award and the individual case for why each player should win the award. Please note that the odds stated are subject to change from the writing of this article to the winner being announced.

As it stands, the bookmakers’ favourite to win the award is Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix. A hat-trick in Benfica’s victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League announced Felix to the world and he proved the game wasn’t a one-off as he scored 20 goals and registered 11 assists in 43 games for Benfica during the 18/19 season. Felix’s good form caught the interest of various European clubs, but it was Atletico Madrid who acquired his services after they spent 120 million euros on him. Since arriving in Madrid, Felix has made 13 appearances for Atletico where he has scored 3 goals and assisted 1 goal, so as of yet he hasn’t displayed the form he showed at Benfica, but there’s no hiding his talent and potential. While writing this piece, it has been reported by several sources that Felix has been named as the Golden Boy winner, but considering that the awards ceremony isn’t taking place until the 16th of December, we won’t know for certain if he has won it until then.

The second favourite to win the award is Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho who has made a big name for himself since he joined the German side from Manchester City. In 72 appearances for Dortmund, Sancho has scored 19 goals and registered 32 assists, including 5 goals and 9 assists in his opening 17 games this season. Sancho’s brilliant form for Dortmund has seen him breakthrough into the English national team where he has scored 2 goals in 11 appearances. After being linked with various clubs such as Manchester United and Liverpool, it looks like Sancho could be involved in a big-money move away from Dortmund in the near future.

Also in contention to win the award is Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt. De Ligt was a pivotal player in Ajax’s successful 18/29 season where they won the domestic treble and reached the Champions League semi-final. Despite only being 20-years-old, the Dutch defender has displayed maturity and leadership during his short career, both these characteristics lead to de Ligt being linked with almost every top European club during the summer transfer window, with: Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, Manchester United, Juventus, Bayern Munich and various other clubs being linked with the defender. De Ligt’s impressive form has made him one of the Netherlands’ first-choice centre-backs along with Virgil van Dijk as he is as dangerous in attack as he is strong in defense, as he has scored 9 goals for club and country so far during his career.