FC Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal won the Kopa Trophy at France Football's Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris on Monday.
Named after French legend Raymond Kopa, the award is given to the youngster deemed to be the world's best male football player under the age of 21 while decided by all living former Ballon d'Or winners.
Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe won the inaugural edition of the trophy in 2018 while still at Paris Saint-Germain, with Ajax's Matthijs de Ligt succeeding him in 2019 after the Dutch team's unlikely run to the Champions League semifinals which also took in a win over then-reigning holders Madrid at the Bernabeu.
The turn of the decade saw Barca dominate the award with back-to-back wins for Lamine's teammates Pedri and Gavi in 2020 and 2021.
Madrid claimed the Kopa Trophy for the first time in October 2023 through Jude Bellingham, but a landmark event took place over in Catalonia in April that year when a 15-year-old Lamine replaced Gavi in the 83rd minute of a 4-0 victory over Real Betis at Camp Nou and made his senior debut as a 15-year-old.
In 2023/2024, Barca ceded its La Liga and Spanish Super Cup titles to Madrid. Yet one of the few bright sparks of a trophyless campaign was Lamine becoming a regular on the right wing under Xavi Hernandez.
Turning 17 there, Lamine headed to the Euros and broke records as the youngest appearance maker in the semifinal of a major tournament since Pele at the 1958 World Cup, and the youngest goalscorer in the continental tournament after equalizing against Mbappe's France in the semifinal.
Comments