- Raheem Sterling was one of five English players who were nominated
- The Liverpool forward has been named European Golden Boy 2014
- Luke Shaw, John Stones, Eric Dier and Calum Chambers also nominated
- Players under age of 21 playing in Europe's top leagues can win award
- Wayne Rooney only previous English winner of the award in 2004
Raheem Sterling has been named the 2014 European Golden Boy - an award given to the best youngster on the continent.
The
20 year-old helped Liverpool come within a whisker of the Premier
League title last season as they finished second behind Manchester City.
And
he has also become an integral part of the England national set-up in
2014, playing during the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 European
Championship qualifiers.
Raheem Sterling named as the 2014 European Golden Boy - an award for best youngster on the continent
Liverpool tweeted their congratulations to Sterling after he received the award on Friday
Sterling took to Twitter to reveal his delight at receiving the award on Saturday
Although
mainly being used wide on the right for the Reds throughout 2014, in
recent weeks Sterling has been deployed as a central forward and scored
twice in a magnificent display during Liverpool's 3-1 Capital One Cup
quarter-final victory over Bournemouth on Wednesday.
Sterling took to Twitter to reveal his delight at receiving the award, accompanied by a picture of himself with the trophy.
He said: 'Walk boldly through the doors God opens for you, and don't become discouraged when He closes one.'
After receiving the accolade on Saturday, Sterling told Liverpoolfc.com: 'It's a great achievement to win such an award.
'It's a really happy feeling for me and my family, of course.
Sterling (centre) scored twice for Liverpool in the 3-1 win against Bournemouth on Wednesday
The Englishman (right) scores Liverpool's opening goal against Bournemouth in the Capital One Cup
'Something
I've always wanted to do is to work hard playing football and try to be
recognised. I'm really grateful that people have shown me this
recognition.
'It's
down to hard work. I'm really happy that people are recognising that
I'm trying to work hard and do my best for this football club. I'm
really grateful for this award.'
Liverpool themselves tweeted a message of congratulations to Sterling.
It
read: 'Congratulations @sterling31, who was today announced as the
winner of the prestigious 2014 European Golden Boy award.'
Raheem Sterling is one of five English players nominated for the 2014 European Golden Boy award
Manchester
United's Luke Shaw, Everton's John Stones, Tottenham Hotspur's Eric
Dier and Arsenal's Calum Chambers also joined Sterling on the 40-man
shortlist, but the Liverpool forward has claimed the award.
In
all, there were 10 Premier League-based players nominated, with
Chelsea's Kurt Zouma, United's Adnan Januzaj, Spurs' Nabil Bentaleb and
Liverpool's Lazar Markovic and Divock Origi also put forward.
Ahead
of Liverpool's key clash with Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday, Sterling
added: 'There's always room for improvement. At this moment in time, I
should have a few more goals, but I've not taken some of my chances. But
I'm young and learning all the time.
'This
award just shows that hard work gets you where you want to be, and that
I'm on the right track for where I want to be in my career. Hopefully I
can just keep working hard and try to take my game to the next level.'
Tottenham's Eric Dier and Everton's John Stones (right) also made the 40-strong shortlist for the award
Arsenal's Calum Chambers and Manchester United's Luke Shaw (right) also made the 40-strong shortlist
Wayne Rooney, pictured here during his Everton days, is the only previous English winner of the award in 2004
La
Liga had five nominees, including former Everton loanee Gerard
Deulofeu, as did Serie A, with the Bundesliga offering up six, Ligue 1
four and Eredivisie three. There were also seven players nominated from
other European nations.
All nominees for the Golden Boy award must be under the age of 21 and play in one of the big European leagues.
There have been 11 previous winners of the award since its inception in 2003 - when Italian newspaper Tuttosport originally created the prize and determined Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart to be Europe's next best thing.
Paul
Pogba was voted last year's Golden Boy by journalists in Europe and
Wayne Rooney is the only previous English winner (2004) before Sterling.
In
order to determine the eventual winner, each of the 30 publications
with a vote nominates five players from the shortlist and 10 points are
awarded to their first choice, seven for their second, five for their
third, three for their fourth and one for their fifth.
Sterling
was chosen by the journalists and becomes the first Reds player to win
the award - although Mario Balotelli claimed the prize while at
Manchester City in 2010.
Liverpool signing Divock Origi, who is on loan at Lille, and Chelsea's Kurt Zouma were also been nominated
Gerard Deulofeu, pictured while on loan at Everton last season, was among the Spaniards nominated
Juventus and former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba won the 2013 European Golden Boy award
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