Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland has been rewarded for his stunning exploits, named the 2020 Golden Boy recipient.
The prize, presented by Italian newspaper Tuttosport and won by Joao Felix last year, is given to the best player aged 21 or under from a top-tier league in Europe.
And Norway international Haaland – the leading contender – graced Saturday’s front page of Tuttosport, beating the likes of Dortmund team-mate Jadon Sancho, Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies, Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood and Barcelona sensation Ansu Fati to the award.
Haaland scored 44 goals across all competitions in 2019-20 — 16 of those coming in 18 appearances after a mid-season move from Austrian champions Salzburg to Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund.
Among all Bundesliga players last season to have scored at least 10 goals, only Robert Lewandowski (81.2) had a better minutes-per-goal record than Haaland (81.7).
Haaland has six goals in as many Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund this term.
The 20-year-old has found the back of the net four times through three Champions League fixtures in 2020-21, taking his tally to 11 goals from 11 matches across all competitions.
