Darren Arnott

England's Charlie Cresswell is the SCOUTED Golden Ball winner for the 2025 #U21EURO. It was this old-school defending that secured the 22-year-old the prestigious accolade. Yes, Nick Woltemade scored the most goals and provided the most assists. Yes, Harvey Elliott scored in all three knockout games. Both are remarkable feats. But without Cresswell, Woltemade may have made his mark in the final. Without Cresswell, Elliott’s goals may have been in vain. Huge headers. Huge blocks. Huge tackles. All at vital moments. Just look at his challenge with 90+2:52 on the clock in the final. Remember our tweet: "Watching Charlie Cresswell is fun. Built like a fridge-freezer, would head an asteroid back into orbit, physical, combative and has that shithouse edge. One of those that could dominate in the Premier League one week and step three of non-league the next. Defender's defender." That is the perfect description. Want some stats? Cresswell made at least eight more clearances (42) than any other player at the tournament. He also won the most Aerial Duels. Incredibly, he won as many Aerial Duels as the rest of the England squad combined. In a summer where the quality of defending has been relatively poor at UEFA Youth Tournaments, Cresswell has just catalogued a course for up-and-coming centre-backs to study. He was England’s most consistent performer throughout the entire tournament and defended his box and read the game with the nous of a seasoned veteran. That's why Cresswell becomes the first defender to win a SCOUTED Golden Ball award. Find out more in our comprehensive Team of the Tournament write-up, only on SCOUTED: bit.ly/4nxdFO8