Phil Foden and Toni Kroos are just two of the players who have been awarded the Golden Boot and Golden Ball at the Under-17 World Cup. However, what happened to the other players who were successful in winning these awards?
Although Germany emerged victorious in the most recent edition of the U-17 World Cup, there is no doubt that fans of England will fondly remember the victory they achieved in 2017 under the leadership of Steve Cooper. Foden, Jadon Sancho, and Conor Gallagher were among the players on the team, and all three of them have since gone on to play for the Three Lions at the senior level.
During the final match, the Young Lions were victorious over Spain by a score of 5-2. Foden was awarded the Golden Ball, and Rhian Brewster was awarded the Golden Boot for scoring eight goals during the competition. However, who else has won the two coveted individual accolades in previous tournaments?
A list of some of the most notable winners of the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards at the U-17 World Cups between the years 2001 and 2023 has been compiled by SPORTbible and appears below.
In 2001, Florent Sinama Pongolle, a French player, was awarded both the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot.
In the year 2001, the Frenchman signed a contract with Liverpool, at which time he was considered to be one of the most promising forwards in Europe. Despite the fact that he was a member of the Premier League club and won a Champions League medal during his time there, he was unable to reach his full potential and went on to become a journeyman.
In 2003, Cesc Fabregas of Spain was awarded both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball.
He was a product of the Barcelona youth program prior to signing with Arsenal in the summer of 2003. He is a man who does not require an introduction.
During his playing career, he went on to play for Barcelona, Chelsea, and Monaco. During his playing career, he won the Premier League, the World Cup in 2010, and the Euros in 2008 and 2012 with Spain, to name just a few of the many accolades he has received. The Serie A club Como has appointed Fabregas as their head coach.
Anderson (Brazil) was the recipient of the Golden Ball in 5.
The former center-midfielder is someone who people who follow Manchester United will be familiar with.
It was during the 2005 edition of the tournament that he made a name for himself. At the time, he was playing for Gremio in his home country of Brazil. During that tournament, Brazil finished in second place.
He made the transition to Europe, first signing with Porto in 2006 and then moving on to United, which is owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, in 2007.
And despite the fact that it could be argued that he did not live up to his full potential, he left Old Trafford in 2015, having won four Premier League titles and a Champions League title during his 181 appearances for the Red Devils.
This was followed by a stint at Internacional, a loan at Coritiba, and two seasons at Adana Demirspor before Anderson finally called it quits in the new year of 2020.
The German player Toni Kroos was awarded the Golden Ball in 2007.
It could be argued that Kroos was the player who had the most success out of all those on the list.
It was during this time that he was a young midfielder at Bayern Munich. He would go on to become a legend at Real Madrid, where he played 465 times for Los Blancos. Additionally, the 35-year-old player was a member of Germany’s senior team, which won the World Cup in 2014 and enjoyed a great deal of success overall. After the European Championship, which was held in his home country, he decided to retire from the sport of football in the summer of 2024. He is widely regarded as one of the most talented midfielders of the last twenty years.
The complete list of winners of the Golden Ball and Golden Boot at the Under-17 World Cup
The recipient of the Golden Ball in 2001 was Florent Sinama Pongolle.
The recipient of the Golden Boot in 2001 was Florent Sinama Pongolle.
The winner of the Golden Ball in 2003 was Cesc Fabregas.
The winner of the Golden Boot in 2003 was Cesc Fabregas.
Anderson, the winner of the Golden Ball in 2005
Winner of the Golden Boot in 2005 was Carlos Vela.
This year’s winner of the Golden Ball is Toni Kroos.
The winner of the Golden Boot in 2007 was Macauley Chrisantus.
The winner of the Golden Ball in 2009 was Sani Emmanuel.
The winner of the Golden Boot in 2009 was Borja Baston.
The Golden Ball was awarded to Julio Gomez in 2011.
The winner of the Golden Boot in 2011 was Souleymane Coulibaly.
The winner of the Golden Ball in 2013 was Kelechi Iheanacho.
The winner of the Golden Boot in 2013 was Valmir Berisha.
Golden Ball winner for the year 2015 is Kelechi Nwakali
The winner of the Golden Boot for 2015 is Victor Osimhen.
The winner of the Golden Ball in 2017 is Phil Foden.
The winner of the Golden Boot for 2017 is Rhian Brewster.
The winner of the Golden Ball for 2019 is Gabriel Veron.
The winner of the Golden Ball for 2019 is Sontje Hansen.
The winner of the Golden Ball in 2023 is Paris Brunner.
Agustin Ruberto was the winner of the Golden Boot in 2023.
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