Paris Saint-Germain forward Desire Doue claimed the Golden Boy award thanks to his impressive performances with Paris Saint-Germain, drawing comparisons to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominated world soccer for more than 15 years, and even today, as they approach the final stages of their respective careers, they remain influential players for both clubs and national teams. However, a new generation of stars is emerging, including Paris Saint-Germain forward Desire Doue.
The young French player recently turned 20 and has already established himself as a key piece for PSG, helping the team win Ligue 1 and the UEFA Champions League during the 2024–25 season. Those performances catapulted him to stardom and earned him the 2025 Golden Boy trophy.
The Golden Boy is a prestigious award organized by the Italian magazine Tuttosport — similar to how France Football runs the Ballon d’Or — recognizing the most promising players under the age of 21 each season. The trophy was first awarded in 2003 and has steadily grown in prestige since then.
The 16 goals in 61 matches that Doue scored for PSG during the previous campaign made him the clear favorite for the award. This was reinforced by a key detail: the Golden Boy can only be won once per player, which excluded other rising stars such as Lamine Yamal, who had already received it in an earlier edition.
Did Messi and Ronaldo ever win the Golden Boy?
Since the Golden Boy began in 2003, the timeline shows that both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were eligible for the award when they were under 21, playing for Barcelona and Sporting CP, respectively.
In the inaugural edition, Ronaldo had just arrived at Manchester United from Sporting CP, having already shown excellent performances in Portugal. This placed him among the favorites, though he ultimately finished third behind Rafael Van der Vaart and Wayne Rooney. The latter then won the award in 2004, leaving CR7 in second place, meaning Cristiano Ronaldo never won the trophy.
The Argentine star, on the other hand, had a much more favorable scenario. In 2005, Messi won the Golden Boy thanks to his outstanding performances with FC Barcelona, where he had made his professional debut the previous year. At that time, there were no restrictions for players who had already won, so Messi competed again in the following two years, finishing second behind Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Agüero.
Other notable Golden Boy winners
Over the past 22 years, players from various clubs and countries have won the Golden Boy. Many, like Messi, Rooney, and Agüero, went on to become superstars, fulfilling the early promise the award indicated.
Other notable winners include Kylian Mbappe (2017) and Erling Haaland (2020), as well as Pedri (2021), Jude Bellingham (2023), and Lamine Yamal (2024), who are still young and likely to improve further.
However, there are also cases of players who seemed destined for greatness early in their careers but were unable to sustain it at the top level. Examples include Anderson (2008), Anthony Martial (2015), and Renato Sanches (2016).
