Kopa Trophy: Football’s Most Coveted Prize for Young Talent

Kopa Trophy: The Kopa Trophy is the football world’s biggest honour for players under 21. It is handed out every year alongside the Ballon d’Or. Since 2018, it has become one of the most watched moments of the entire ceremony.

Who Was Raymond Kopa?

The award is not named after a random legend. Raymond Kopa was one of the finest footballers France ever produced. He won the 1958 Ballon d’Or while playing for Real Madrid. He was a playmaker ahead of his time. Elegant, creative and technically brilliant, Kopa helped define what a number ten should look like. Naming this award after him was a fitting tribute. He passed away in 2017, and the trophy was launched the very next year.

What Is the Kopa Trophy?

France Football presents this award to the best player in world football under the age of 21. It does not matter which country or league that player comes from. The award is open to all six FIFA confederations worldwide. That is what makes it different from the Golden Boy, which only considers players from European football.

The voting panel is special too. Former Ballon d’Or winners decide the winner. These are people who have been at the very top of the game themselves. Their judgement carries real weight.

The Current Champion: Lamine Yamal

Lamine Yamal of Barcelona won the Kopa Trophy in both 2024 and 2025. He is the first player ever to win it back to back. Nobody has done that before.

In 2024, Yamal received 113 points. That broke the all-time record for most votes in the award’s history. Second-placed Arda Güler received just 26 points. The gap was staggering. Yamal did not just win. He dominated.

Then he did it again in 2025. He collected 124 points, the highest total the award has ever seen. At just 17 when he first won it, he also became the youngest recipient in the trophy’s history. Yamal is not just talented. He is rewriting the record books before most teenagers even have a club contract.

All Men’s Winners: Full List

Year-by-Year Full Podiums

2018

Kylian Mbappé walked away with the very first Kopa Trophy. He was 19 years old and already looked like a future Ballon d’Or winner. He collected 110 points, a record at the time. Christian Pulisic of Borussia Dortmund finished second. Justin Kluivert of Roma was third.

2019

Matthijs de Ligt was one of the most commanding young defenders the game had seen in years. He led Ajax to the Champions League semi-finals and captained the Netherlands at just 19. The former Ballon d’Or winners rewarded him handsomely. Jadon Sancho was close behind in second, with João Félix rounding off an exciting podium.

2020

The COVID-19 pandemic shut football down for months. France Football decided not to hand out any awards that year. The Kopa Trophy was cancelled along with the Ballon d’Or itself.

2021

Pedri announced himself to the world in dramatic fashion. At just 18, he played 73 games across club and international football. His performances at Barcelona and for Spain at Euro 2020 and the Olympics were breathtaking. Jude Bellingham took second place and Jamal Musiala came third. Both would go on to win the award themselves in later years.

2022

Gavi was everywhere for Barcelona and Spain. He was raw, aggressive and relentless. Eduardo Camavinga finished second after a strong season at Real Madrid. Jamal Musiala came third for the second consecutive year, proving he belonged in this conversation.

2023

Jude Bellingham had one of the greatest individual breakout seasons a young player has ever had. He dragged Borussia Dortmund deep into the Champions League. He scored big goals on big nights. The former Ballon d’Or winners gave him 90 points. That was a new record at the time. Musiala came second. Pedri returned to the podium in third.

2024

Yamal was 17 years old. He helped Spain win Euro 2024. He was the best player at the tournament. Then he went back to Barcelona and kept performing at that level week after week. The voters were not confused. He won by a landslide. 113 points. A record. Arda Güler of Real Madrid came second. Kobbie Mainoo of Manchester United finished third.

2025

Yamal came back and won it again. He pushed his points total even higher to 124. PSG’s Désiré Doué had a brilliant season and deserved his second-place finish. Fellow PSG midfielder João Neves rounded out the top three. Two PSG players on the podium was a sign of just how dominant that club had become.

Wins by Player

Wins by Country

Spain has completely dominated this award. Three different Spanish players have won it. They hold four of the seven trophies handed out so far. That is a remarkable level of consistency from one nation.

Wins by Club

Barcelona sit alone at the top. Three of their players have won the award. Four trophies have come from the Camp Nou. That track record of developing young talent is unmatched in this competition.

The Women’s Kopa Trophy

The women’s version of the award launched in 2025. It is still brand new. Vicky López of Barcelona won the first ever edition. She collected 15 points. Linda Caicedo of Real Madrid came second and Wieke Kaptein of Chelsea finished third.

The women’s award is growing fast. As more young female talent rises through the game, this category will only get more competitive in the years ahead.

The Future of the Kopa Trophy

Jamal Musiala holds the record for most nominations with three. He has never won it. That is a painful piece of trivia for the German. He came close every time but the trophy always belonged to someone else.

Lamine Yamal has now aged out of eligibility. The door is open for the next generation. Désiré Doué, João Neves and others are ready to step forward. Who claims the 2026 Kopa Trophy is one of football’s most exciting open questions right now.