Kopa Trophy: Origins, Past Winners, Predictions, and 2024 Ceremony Details

The Kopa Trophy is an annual football award presented to the best player under the age of 21 from the previous season. Named after the late French footballer and former Ballon d’Or winner Raymond Kopa, the French Football Association introduced the award in 2018, with Kylian Mbappe being the inaugural winner

Kopa Trophy – a recognition to youngsters across the globe

While the FIFA Young Player award – the best U21 player in a World Cup –  and the Golden Boy award have been traditionally presented for several years, the French Football Association decided to roll out the Kopa Trophy in 2018 to recognise the best up-and-coming players. The award will be presented every year during a joint ceremony with the Ballon d’Or. Unlike the Golden Boy award – presented by sports journalists and limited to the best-performing U-21 players in Europe, the Kopa includes top talents across the globe.

Kopa Trophy past winners list

Since its inception, Five footballers have won the Kopa Trophy, with Mbappe being the inaugural recipient and his Real Madrid team-mate Jude Bellingham the current holder. The winner is decided by a jury consisting of all former Ballon d’Or recipients. 

Let’s take a look at the winners list.

Kylian Mbappe (2018)

Although he had raised enough expectations at AS Monaco, the 2018 World Cup was the crowning moment in what was only a budding career. Aged 18, Mbappe had the world at his feet after playing a pivotal role in France’s World Cup triumph, scoring 4 goals, including a double against Argentina in the round of 16 and a strike against Croatia in the finals. In addition to breaking several records, the mercurial talent was bestowed with the Best Young Player of the Tournament award. Racking up 21 goals and 16 assists in the preceding season at PSG, Mbappe was awarded the first-ever Kopa Trophy in 2018. The seeds to become the best in the world were sown there and ever since then, Mbappe hasn’t looked back, growing by leaps and bounds to become one of the top-most footballers on the planet. He joined his dream club Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 in a quest to win the long-evading Champions League glory, having already achieved profound success at such a young age.

Matthijs de Ligt (2019)

One of the highlights of the 2018/19 season was the emergence of Ajax as giant slayers in the Champions League. Led by Erik ten Hag – the current Manchester United manager, Ajax thrashed the likes of  Real Madrid and Juventus on their way to the semi-finals, where they fell short against Tottenham Hotspur. At the heart of an incredible run was their skipper Matthijs de Ligt, who claimed his stake as the next big thing in Europe with his scintillating performances and leadership skills. A monster of a centre-back who is equally adept with the ball at his feet, De Ligt also showed his big-match tendency by scoring the winner against Juventus. However, things have taken an unexpected downturn in the following years, as the Netherlands international has struggled to keep his consistency during his underwhelming spells at Juventus and Bayern Munich. He is now reunited with Ten Hag at Man Utd in the hopes of reviving his career. Winning the Kopa Trophy just ahead of Jadon Sancho in 2019 was one of the high points in De Ligt’s career.

Pedri (2021)

When Barcelona signed Pedri from Las Palmas in 2019, there was no fuss about it as the club had more issues to worry about. When he officially became part of the squad ahead of the 2020/21 season, little did everyone know that Pedri would make such an incredible impact. The Spanish wonderkid quickly became a key cog in Barca’s midfield, helping the side win the Copa del Rey that season. Not long after, Pedri’s performances earned him a place in the Euro 2020 squad and he went on to have a stellar tournament, playing a pivotal role in Spain reaching the semi-finals. Pedri had also grown in stature as one of the best central midfielders in the world, fittingly winning the Kopa Trophy by a landslide.

Gavi (2022)

Next up on the list is Gavi, who brought more laurels to Barcelona amid a difficult time by winning the prize. Progressing through the youth ranks of the Catalan club, Gavi was shot to fame following his phenomenal impact with the first team in no time. Like Pedri, Gavi earned his place as a regular, showcasing tremendous physical qualities, mentality and passing and striking abilities, which were too good for his age. His Spain call-up was inevitable, but what stood out was his seamless transition. He played an important role in Barcelona’s La Liga triumph in 2022-23 and was part of the Spain side that won the Nations League that summer.

Jude Bellingham (2023)

After finishing as the second best in the 2021 Kopa Trophy rankings, Jude Bellingham won the prize outright in 2023. His magical performances at Borussia Dortmund put him in the same bracket as the world’s best midfielders and reached the high-water mark when Real Madrid snapped him up in a big-money move. The English youngster couldn’t have asked for a better start in the Los Blancos shirt, winning La Liga and UCL in his debut season.

Kopa Trophy 2024 – Date and Venue

The Kopa Trophy 2024 is set to be awarded as part of the Ballon d’Or gala on October 28, 2024, at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France.  The ceremony is expected to start at 8 p.m. local time.

Potential favourites for Kopa Trophy 2024

The Kopa Trophy 2024 is set to bring an array of world-class talents to the spotlight and among the nominated players, Lamine Yamal appears to be the favourite to clinch this year’s award. 

The 17-year-old has taken the football world by storm following his impressive breakout season with Barcelona last term as well as winning the Euro 2024 with Spain. Yamal was one of the best players of the tournament, bagging four assists and also scoring a belter of a strike against France in the semi-finals. Having already drawn comparisons with Barca and Argentine legend Lionel Messi, Yamal has made an explosive start to the new season, scoring 3 goals and 5 assists as well as netting his first-ever UCL strike against Monaco. If Yamal is to be crowned the Kopa trophy, then he would become the third recipient from Barcelona in the last four years.

Yamal’s Barca and Spanish team-mate Pau Cubarsi is also on the list, having made meteoric progress with the Catalan giants. Sharing the same age as Yamal, Cubarsi’s success draws parallels with the prodigious winger. The teen centre-back was an integral part of the Spanish side that lifted the Euros.

Other nominees include Warren Zaire-Emery, Alejandro Garnacho, Mathys Tel, Arda Guler, Kobbie Mainoo, Karim Konate, Savinho and Joao Neves.

Here is the list of nominees for the Kopa Trophy 2024.

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