At the 2023 Golden Boy Awards, in which the ceremony will take place in early December in Turin, Premier League backroom duo, Tony Bloom of Brighton and Hove Albion and Edu Gaspar of Arsenal, have won awards for their work this year.
Tony Bloom has been nominated the ‘Best European President’ for 2023, whilst Edu Gaspar has been given the title of ‘Best European Director’ for the year.
Bloom has overseen a smart footballing operation on the south coast with Brighton finishing sixth in the Premier League last season and, as a consequence, qualifying for the group stages of the UEFA Europa League. Their impressive on-pitch performances have been underlined by organised and progressive, sustainable strategies off the field.
Bloom became the chairman and owner of the club in 2009, leading them to the top-flight in 2016 and now establishing The Seagulls as a legitimate force in the Premier League.
Edu Gaspar has been given his award for the work he has done at Arsenal in transforming the club away from the staleness of the Arsene Wenger era with a fresher, more modern approach that has allowed The Gunners to challenge for the Premier League title in successive seasons, getting themselves back into the UEFA Champions League group stages, too.
Edu played 127 matches for the north London outfit between 2001 and 2005 in a playing career that also saw him play for Valencia, bookended at Corinthians.
The 2023 Golden Boy award itself has been given to Jude Bellingham as a result of his excellent performances at Borussia Dortmund and then Real Madrid, as well as with the England national team. Previous winners of the award include the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Erling Braut Haaland, Paul Pogba, Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney.
Real Madrid and Colombia international forward, Linda Caicedo, has won the female equivalent of the award: the ‘Golden Girl Award’.
