Current holder Gavi and Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham are among the nominees for the 2023 Kopa Trophy, which seeks to reognise the best young player of the year under the age of 21 as part of the annual Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Gavi is one of three Barcelona players who have been nominated for the award, with full-back Alejandro Balde and 2021 winner Pedri also receiving a nod for helping guide Barca to their first La Liga title in four years.
The favourite for the award will likely come from across the Clasico divide. Signed for a whopping £85m plus add-ons during the summer after a fantastic campaign at Borussia Dortmund, England international Bellingham has hit the ground running at Real Madrid – scoring a quite ridiculous five goals in his first four La Liga appearances.
The midfielder is now widely considered not just one of the best young players in the world, but one of the best footballers in the world period.
Bellingham is joined by fellow Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga in being nominated for the award, with the rest of the nominees coming from across four different European leagues.
Rasmus Hojlund, recently signed for an initial £64m from Atalanta by Manchester United, is the Premier League’s sole representatives on the nominees list, while Elye Wahi of Lens represents Ligue 1, talented defender Antonio Silva represents Benfica and Primeira Liga, and Xavi Simons – on loan at RB Leipzig from Paris Saint-Germain – and Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich are the Bundesliga contingent that have been nominated.
Kopa Tophy 2023 nominees
- Jude Bellingham – Borussia Dortmund/Real Madrid
- Alejandro Balde – Barcelona
- Eduardo Camavinga – Real Madrid
- Gavi – Barcelona
- Rasmus Hojlund – Atalanta/Manchester United
- Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich
- Pedri – Barcelona
- Xavi Simons – PSV Eindhoven/RB Leipzig
- Antonio Silva – Benfica
- Elye Wahi – Montpellier/Lens
When is the Kopa Trophy 2023 winner announced?
The Kopa Trophy will be awarded to the best young player in Europe on 30 October at an award ceremony at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France.
What we know
- Gavi is among three Barcelona players to be nominated
- Bellingham is the favourite
- 10 players in total have been nominated
