Jude Bellingham WINS 2024 Laureus Breakthrough Of The Year Award.

Jude Bellingham's incredible debut season at Real Madrid has earned him the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year award.

He becomes the first footballer to land the accolade as Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz, presented him with the award at the ceremony that took place at the Palacio de Cibeles, Madrid on Monday night 22 April.

The Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony is held in Madrid are known for handing out their prizes to sports other than football including tennis, cycling and motorsport.

Among the other superstars attending include tennis supremo Novak Djokovic, women's Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati and Red Bull ace Max Verstappen.

The England and Real Madrid midfielder, won one of the major honours on Monday evening in his new home city of Madrid, just after the night his sensational injury-time winner gave Real Madrid a 3-2 win in front of their home fans at Santiago Bernabeu in the El Clasico over Barcelona .

This season, he has scored 21 goals for Los Blancos, including 17 in La Liga, which they now lead by 11 points. He has also contributed eight assists in both domestic and European games.

He also helped Real Madrid beat current Champions League holders Manchester City on penalties in their quarter-final game last week.

Bellingham was the hot favourite to scoop the award after a barnstorming campaign with Real Madrid, having joined them in the summer for £89m from German side Borussia Dortmund.

The 20-year-old, beat US tennis star Coco Gauff, 20, and Colombia footballer Linda Caicedo, 19, swimmer Qin Haiyang, middle-distance runner Josh Kerr, and FC Barcelona striker Salma Paralluelo to the award, having won the Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d'Or awards in 2023.

The winners of the Laureus Awards are chosen by an international jury composed of personalities from the world of sport.

“It's a pleasure to be here with you and I hope you enjoy the evening,” said the Midlands-born player. 

In addition, he has won the  Golden Boy  and  Kopa Trophy  in the last year, which credits him as the best under-21 footballer. He was also voted best player in the Bundesliga in his last season at Dortmund.

Bellingham is already a fan favourite among Madrid supporters, and he is England's best chance to lead them to victory at the Euro 2024 this summer.

It's unlikely that this will be his last individual honour of his career, as he is one of the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or this year, and has his sights set on that prize.

He will face off against other superstars including Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappe for the coveted individual award.

Achieving that, would make him the first Englishman to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001 and the first Real Madrid player since Karim Benzema in 2022.

However, with Real Madrid being favourites to win the Champion League and La Liga, and England likely to succeed at Euro 2024, Bellingham could have a compelling argument to be not just the greatest young player but the best player in the world at the moment.

2024 LAUREUS AWARDS: FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award: Novak Djokovic

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award: Aitana Bonmatí

Laureus World Team of the Year Award: Spain Women’s Football Team

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award: Jude Bellingham

Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award: Simone Biles

Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award: Arisa Trew

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award: Diede de Groot

Laureus Sport for Good Award: Fundación Rafa Nadal.