The Golden Girl is an award that is given by sports journalists to a young female
footballer playing in Europe perceived to have been the most impressive during a calendar year (two halves to two separate seasons). All nominees must be under the age of 21 and play in a European nation's top tier.
The 2023 edition was won by
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
's
Linda Caicedo.
Selection
The prize was established by the Italian sports newspaper ''
Tuttosport'' in 2022.
It is awarded along with the
Golden Boy given to the best under-21 male footballer.
It is presented by ''Tuttosport'' based on the votes of 50 sports journalists.
The journalists who participate in the voting include ''
Bild
''Bild'' (or ''Bild-Zeitung'', ; ) is a German tabloid newspaper published by Axel Springer SE. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday; on Sundays, its sister paper ''Bild am Sonntag'' ("''Bild on Sunday''") is published instead, which ...
'' (Germany), ''
Blick'' (Switzerland), ''
A Bola'' (Portugal), ''
l'Équipe'' (France), ''
France Football'' (France), ''
Marca Marca may refer to:
Places
* Marca, Sălaj, a commune in Sălaj County, Romania
* Marca, a tributary of the Barcău in Sălaj County, Romania
* an alternative name for Merca, Somalia
* Marca District, in the province Recuay, Peru
* Marçà, a vil ...
'' (Spain), ''
Mundo Deportivo
''Mundo Deportivo'' (; meaning ''Sports World'' in English) is a Spanish nationwide daily sports newspaper published in Barcelona.
History and profile
''Mundo Deportivo'' was first published on 1 February 1906, as a weekly newspaper, and since 1 ...
'' (Spain), ''
Ta Nea'' (Greece), ''
Sport Express'' (Russia), ''
De Telegraaf
''De Telegraaf'' (; en, The Telegraph) is the largest Dutch daily morning newspaper. Haro Kraak,Gaat Paul Jansen de crisis bij De Telegraaf oplossen?, '' de Volkskrant'', 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015. Paul Jansen has been the editor-in-chief s ...
'' (Netherlands), and ''
The Times'' (United Kingdom).
Players must be on a team in a top division in one of the top 25 leagues in Europe based on UEFA coefficient rankings as of May or June of that year in order to be eligible for the Golden Girl award.
A final selection of 10 applicants is produced by the panel from a shortlist of 100 players.
Journalists from all throughout Europe then cast their votes for the prize. The journalists cast their votes for the top three options, giving the top option five points, the second option three points, and the third option one point. The player with the most points at the end is crowned the winner after those points are tallied to get the final rankings.
Winners
Awards won by position
Awards won by nationality
Awards won by club
Year in bold have shared the win with other clubs.
See also
*
Golden Boy (award)
*
Kopa Trophy
The Kopa Trophy is an association football award presented to the best performing player under the age of 21. It is organised by ''France Football.''
The award is named after former French footballer Raymond Kopa and the winner is selected by fo ...
*
Ballon d'Or
Notes
References
{{reflist
European football trophies and awards
Awards established in 2022
Under-21 association football
Association football young player of the year awards
Rookie player awards