Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt has emerged as the winner of the 2018 Golden Boy award for the most promising Under-21 player in Europe.

The player who is highly coveted has been linked with the likes of Barcelona, Manchester City, and Juventus. The 19-year-old defender came out tops with the award after amassing the most votes from an international panel.

De Ligt faced competition from the likes of Roma’s attacker Justin Kluivert, AC Milan’s Patrick Cutrone, Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior.

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Regardless, the Ajax captain emerged victoriously and now takes over as the holder of the award which was previously held by Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe.

The player who has broken into the Dutch senior team has been very impressive and has a contract with the Eredivisie giants that runs until 2021. He made his debut for the Ajax senior side in 2016 and has gone on to carve a niche for himself at the club.

It’s very possible that the impressive center-back won’t be with the Dutch giants after next summer as his performances have caught the eyes of the big clubs in Europe.