As much as football is a team sport, each individual strives to achieve their own goals. With numerous awards on offer that celebrate the great success of a footballer, Mario Balotelli marked his Golden Boy triumph in 2010 in controversial fashion, claiming to have never heard of the runner-up despite playing in the same league as them.
The most prestigious award that football has to offer is the Ballon d'Or. An iconic golden ball that has been held by the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, there is a litany of other awards that footballers can win on the road to being crowned the greatest - one of those being the Golden Boy award.
Established by Tuttosport, an Italian sports newspaper, the award aims to crown football's best under-21 talent in a calendar year. Voted for by journalists, the inaugural Golden Boy award went to the Netherlands' Rafael van der Vaart. Having been held by some of football's best, such as Messi and Kylian Mbappé, it was most recently won by Barcelona star Lamine Yamal.
However, in 2010, Mario Balotelli found himself crowned as football's Golden Boy. A footballer who failed to reach the heights expected of him, his victory in 2010 produced a classic controversial Balotelli moment, as the Italian gloated and claimed to have never heard of runner-up Jack Wilshere.
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Mario Balotelli Claimed to Not Know Jack Wilshere
The Italian's post-victory speech was controversial
In August 2010, Balotelli secured a move to Manchester City, leaving Inter Milan in the process. Having spent three years in his native country's top league, his form in 2010 saw him join the blue side of Manchester, reuniting with coach Roberto Mancini.
A year in which he thrived, his form earned him the Golden Boy award at the end of 2010. An award that had previously evaded him, having come sixth in 2008 and fourth in 2009, his third attempt secured him the win. A man not afraid of stealing the headlines, Balotelli celebrated his triumph with a confident speech, claiming not to have heard of Jack Wilshere, the runner-up to the award.
"What's his name? Wil ... ? No, I don't know him, but the next time I play against Arsenal I will keep a close eye on him ... Perhaps I can show him the Golden Boy trophy and remind him that I won it."
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A bold statement, given Jack Wilshere, played for the side that Balotelli made his Premier League debut against, the Italian went on to claim that Lionel Messi was the only Golden Boy winner to be better than him, putting himself above the likes of Wayne Rooney and Cesc FĂ bregas.
However, despite Balotelli's insistence on not having heard of Wilshere, his name was on the lips of football fans all over the globe in 2010. Having been with the club since the age of nine, Wilshere made his Premier League debut in 2008 against Blackburn Rovers. Putting himself on the map, a successful loan spell at Bolton Wanderers in January 2010 set Wilshere up to be a starter for Arsenal come the beginning of the 2010/11 season.
In what ended up being a breakthrough season for the then-18-year-old, many will find it hard to believe that Balotelli hadn't heard of such a talent who would be dominating Barcelona's midfield just two months later.
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