How Taylor Swift helped Jude Bellingham win the Golden Boy award
Jude Bellingham won the popular Golden Boy Web award in 2023, thanks in part to a big social media push from passionate Taylor Swift fans. Here’s what happened.
Unlike the main Golden Boy award, which Jude also won in 2023 after scoring 485 out of 500 points from a panel of journalists, the Web version is decided by fan votes. The Italian magazine Tuttosport picked 100 young players, gradually narrowing them down by removing 20 names at a time.
At one point, Barcelona defender Alejandro Balde was leading the public vote. He had 45.2% of votes compared to Bellingham’s 30.3%, according to Mundo Deportivo. But suddenly, Bellingham’s votes jumped from about 30% to 89%, while Balde’s support dropped sharply. So, what caused this change?
An old quote supposedly from Balde started circulating online, where he is said to have said, “Do I like Taylor Swift? No, I don’t like her music.” Taylor Swift’s fans, known as Swifties, didn’t like this and began a campaign encouraging people to vote for Bellingham instead.
One popular post asking Swifties to support Bellingham gained millions of views. Another post said, “We can’t let him win the award. Vote for Jude Bellingham here.” However, there’s no real proof that Balde ever made this comment about Taylor Swift’s music.
In the end, Bellingham won both the Golden Boy and Golden Boy Web awards in November 2023. He became the first English player to win the award since Raheem Sterling in 2014. This happened just a few months after he moved from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid.
At the time, Bellingham said, “I’d like to thank everyone who has been part of my journey so far at Birmingham, Dortmund, and now Madrid. It wouldn’t be possible without them. Most of all, my family, who give me support, motivation, and love every day to keep pushing forward.
“Now that I have this prestigious award, I want to keep going. I want to keep reaching my potential and hopefully win many more trophies.”
A month before, Bellingham also won the Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, which goes to the best player under 21 in the world.