Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham 'set to win Golden Boy award'

Separate to the Kopa Trophy handed out at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, the Golden Boy award is now in its 20th year since being established by Italian publication Tuttosport in 2003.

Performing beyond his years yet again, a teenage Bellingham led the Borussia Dortmund charge to the top of the Bundesliga table as Edin Terzic's side sought to end Bayern Munich's perpetual reign of dominance in German football.

Dortmund and Bellingham were ultimately left crestfallen on the final day, as a 2-2 draw with Mainz 05 - where the Englishman was an unused substitute due to injury - saw them miss out on an elusive top-flight title.

A disconsolate Bellingham pushed a camera away as he joined his teammates on the Signal Iduna Park field, but the former Birmingham City youngster could have been proud of his personal achievements during his final season in black and yellow.

In 42 appearances across the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB-Pokal, Bellingham amassed 14 goals and seven assists and became the first English teenager to score in four successive Champions League matches.

Bellingham also captained Dortmund in two Bundesliga games and two Champions League matches, while his debut World Cup campaign saw him score one goal and set up another as England lost to France in the quarter-finals.

The 20-year-old has continued to wow crowds in Spain since his lucrative move to Real Madrid, equalling and breaking many a goalscoring feat with 13 strikes in as many matches, as well as three assists.

Bellingham's first taste of Clasico action on Saturday saw the 2003-born lynchpin spark a dramatic Real Madrid comeback against Barcelona, equalising with a terrific long-range strike before a last-minute winner to extend his advantage at the top of the goalscoring charts.

According to Marca, Bellingham's achievements will now be recognised with a maiden Golden Boy prize, which is awarded to the best-performing Under-21 player for the most recent calendar year.

Bellingham's crowning would see him become the third English player to take home the Golden Boy prize, with Wayne Rooney winning the award in 2004 before Raheem Sterling finished top of the voting in 2014.

The Real Madrid man would also become the first active Blancos player to win the Golden Boy, which has been won by two of his La Liga counterparts in Gavi and Pedri over the past two years.

Prior to December's Golden Boy coronation, Bellingham is up for both the Ballon d'Or and Kopa Trophy ahead of Monday's ceremony in Paris, and he is thought to have a strong chance of lifting the latter.

However, Inter Miami and Argentina star Lionel Messi is expected to hold the 18-carat gold trophy aloft for a record-extending eighth time, fending off competition from Bellingham, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.