Many of the world’s best boy soccer players hope to claim the Ballon d’Or Kopa trophy when the prestigious award is presented later this year.
France american football has just unveiled the 10-man shortlist for 2022, featuring some of the world’s best U21 players – who may want to emulate previous winners such as Kylian Mbappe.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Kopa trophy and who’s in the race.
What is the Kopa Trophy?
The Kopa Trophy is an award given to the best performing footballer under the age of 21.
The prize is organized by the famous France football magazinewho is also behind the Ballon d’Or – a prestigious award for the best performing player of the year from each country.
The Kopa Trophy winner is chosen by former Ballon d’Or winners, and both awards are presented simultaneously at the annual France Football ceremony in Paris.
The Kopa trophy is open to U21 players from all over the world – unlike another trophy, the Golden Boy Prize, which is awarded by the Italian newspaper Tuttosport to the best U21 footballer in Europe.
The name Kopa was chosen for legendary former French midfielder Raymond Kopa, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1958 and was named one of the 125 Best Living Players at the FIFA Awards Ceremony in 2004.
Who is nominated for this year’s Kopa trophy?
The 10-man shortlist includes players from the top leagues in England, Spain, Germany and France.
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka is the only one Eredivisie player to make the list, having scored 12 goals and seven assists in his stellar 2021-22 season.
fellow Englishman Jude Bellingham also made the cut after some superb midfield performances for Germany’s Borussia Dortmund.
Bellingham’s team-mate Karim Adeyemi has also been nominated, after the German striker’s 23 goals for Salzburg last season earned him a big transfer to the Bundesliga.
Leipzig’s Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol, who has been linked with Chelsea and Manchester City, has been nominated alongside Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch and Jamal Musiala.
Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz makes the list, after the German star scored 10 goals and 14 assists before rupturing his cruciate ligament in March.
PSG’s all-action left-back Nuno Mendes has been nominated for the Kopa trophy, with the lineup complete with La Liga duo Gavi and Eduardo Camavinga.
Who won the Kopa trophy last year?
Barcelona and Spain midfielder Pedro ‘Pedri’ Gonzalez Lopez won the Kopa trophy in 2021, making him the third winner of the award since the award was first introduced in 2018.
PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe won the first installment of the Kopa trophy, after his performances helped France become world champions at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Dutch central defender Matthijs De Ligt, who recently joined German champions Bayern Munich, won the award in 2019 when he played for Juventus.
The Kopa trophy was not awarded in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
LAKE : Arsenal legend Thierry Henry lists his two choices for the Ballon d’Or
For more stories like this, check our sports page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news about
facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
