"I don't dispute the Englishman's qualities," Barcelona legend Hristo Stoichkov has told Tuttosport while explaining why Jude Bellingham 'didn't deserve' to win the Golden Boy.
"He is one of the biggest talents in the world: he has a lot of class and a lot of brain. He is a mix between Laudrup, Kaka and Paul Pogba. The future is his. He will compete with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland for the next Ballon d'Or. However, I would like to know what he has achieved for Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in 2023. Nothing.
"[Scoring goals?] He's been doing it for 3 months... And what success did all these goals bring to Real Madrid?"
"Since Gavi, the defending champion, was ineligible by rules, I would have given it to Jamal Musiala or [Alejandro] Balde," he also said.
Jude Bellingham has been on fire for both Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in 2023, performing different tactical roles and recording plenty of goal contributions.
However, Alejandro Balde also would've been a worthy winner. He was one of Barca's best players last season, becoming part of their rock-solid backline that produced a historic season in La Liga. He's not that good this season, though.
Balde finished second in the final Golden Boy rankings. Bayern's Jamal Musiala didn't even make the top 3.
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