Matthijs de Ligt has been crowned the 2018 Golden Boy award which sees him crowned as the most promising young star in Europe.

The 19-year-old became the first defender to win the trophy, after receiving the most votes from an international panel put together by Italian newspaper Tuttosport. The Ajax captain also became the first Dutch player to be named European Golden Boy since Rafael van der Vaart received the inaugural award back in 2005.

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Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold finished behind him in second, with de Ligt's Netherlands compatriot Justin Kluivert coming in third place and Real Madrid teenager Vinicius Junior and AC Milan star Patrick Cutrone also featuring in the top five on the list. After winning the award last year, Kylian Mbappe was voted in 13th place despite his outrageous 2018.

Now read our list of Europe's 25 best young ballers.