Barcelona’s Pedri wins 2021 Golden Boy award

Barcelona midfielder Pedri has won the 2021 Golden Boy award for the best under-21 player playing in a European country’s top division.

Pedri, 18, beat England and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham to the award by a record 199 points.

He played more minutes than any other Barca player last season, going on to play at Euro 2020 and win Olympic silver with Spain.

However, he has not played since September because of a thigh injury.

In October, Pedri, who joined Barca from Las Palmas in 2020, signed a new deal with the Catalan club which includes a 1bn euro (£846m) release clause.

Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Braut Haaland won the Golden Boy award in 2020.

First awarded in 2003, it has also been won by the likes of Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Kylian Mbappe.