Bundesliga
Sancho and Havertz on Golden Boy podium
Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho and Bayer Leverkusen's Kai Havertz have been voted second and third in the race to be crowned European Golden Boy 2019.
Sancho and Havertz were rewarded for their incredible performances in the Bundesliga during 2019 with places on the podium of the prestigious Golden Boy award.
The prize is given to Europe's best player aged 21 or under, and is voted for by a selection of sports journalists from across the continent.
Atletico Madrid and Portugal forward Joao Felix won the award, having received 332 votes. Dortmund and England winger Sancho earned 157 votes, while Germany international Havertz finished third with 75 votes.
bundesliga.com recaps the Golden Boy credentials of Sancho and Havertz...
Jadon Sancho
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Country: England (11 caps, 2 goals)
Age: 19
Position: Winger
Watch: All of Sancho's Bundesliga goals and assists in 2018/19
Frustrated with the first-team opportunities at Manchester City – or lack thereof – Sancho swapped North West England for North Rhine-Westphalia in 2017, but his talent truly exploded last season. His quick feet are matched by a speed of thought that belies his tender 19 years, and he finished the season with a league-high 14 assists as Dortmund missed out on the title by just two points. With a further six to his name already this term - as well as four goals - no player in Europe’s five major leagues per UEFA coefficient has set up more goals than the England international.
Kai Havertz
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Country: Germany (7 caps, 1 goal)
Age: 20
Position: Attacking midfielder
Watch: Havertz's attacking masterclass unlocked
Havertz has been a mainstay of the Leverkusen midfield for three seasons, but he promised at the start of 2018/19 to score more goals, and that’s exactly what he did. Seventeen of them in fact, to finish the campaign as the top-scoring teenager in Bundesliga history. Havertz also made his senior Germany debut last season – coach Joachim Löw said he looked "like he'd always played with the others" – and the future could hardly look brighter. He scored his first senior international goal in the October friendly draw with Argentina.