Acclaiming promise: Looking to the future

In 2018 the Kopa Trophy was conceived, an award designed to celebrate youthful brilliance and ultimately bestow a prestigious honour on the best performing world player under the age of 21.

The inaugural recipient of the award was Kylian Mbappe, then aged 20 and 18 months into his PSG adventure, and perhaps it was fitting that the first winner was French. After all, the award was named after Raymond Kopa, who played with great distinction for Les Bleus in the nineteen-fifties.

The runner-up in 2018 was Christian Pulisic who became the first male USA star to receive any form of Ballon d’Or recognition.

It’s hardly breaking news to reveal that Mbappe followed up his Kopa success with a string of nominations in the main category. Indeed, in the previous year he had finished seventh in the Ballon d’Or rankings, going on to finish in the top ten every year since.

Seeing him terrorise Ligue 1 defences with his raw pace and power this felt at the time an inevitable occurrence: that the forward would flourish into a fully established superstar.

First, he was recognised as an exceptional talent, about to take on the world. Then he would take on the world.

But is this natural progression true of every Kopa nominee over the last eight years? Let’s add up the numbers and see.

From apprentices to masters

Due to the pandemic of 2020 enforcing a one-year hiatus, there have been seven Kopa Trophies since 2018 and with ten nominations each year it might be initially tempting to think there have been 70 players recognised.

That, however, overlooks the fact that 11 players have been nominated twice while Jude Bellingham has been short-listed on three occasions (winning it in 2023).

This means there have been 56 winners/nominees since the award’s inception.

Of those 56 it surprises to learn that only 16 have gone on to be nominated for a Ballon d’Or, though there is a caveat to consider here.

The 40 players who have yet to be nominated for a Ballon d’Or include the Kopa classes of 2024 and 2025, featuring still-emerging teenagers such as Ayyoub Bouaddi and Pau Cubarsi.

Each had outstanding World Cups for their respective nations. Their future’s bright.

Still, even accounting for these exceptions it is a lofty figure. Only 28.5% of Kopa nominees have, to date, progressed onto a 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist.

Players who have been nominated for the Kopa Trophy and the Ballon d’Or

Kylian Mbappe, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Matthijs de Ligt, Vinicius Junior, Pedri, Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala, Nuno Mendes, Bukayo Saka, Florian Wirtz, Josko Gvardiol, Lamine Yamal, João Neves, Désiré Doué, João Félix.

Measuring the jump

Extending on the logical notion that it typically takes time for a young player to elevate their standing and compete for the main prize, it is interesting to note when the 16 Kopa nominees named above received their Ballon d’Or recognition.

Going off their first Kopa nomination and their first Ballon d’Or nomination six experienced both in the same year. For three players apiece there was a one year, two year, and three year gap.

The anomaly of the 16 is PSG full-back Nuno Mendes. He was Kopa nominated in 2021 and finished 10th in the Ballon d’Or voting in 2025, an interval of four years.  

The winner takes it all?

It stands to reason that almost all of the Kopa Trophy winners thus far have subsequently been Ballon d’Or nominated.

They are judged to be the best performing young player on the planet over a period of twelve months. Naturally they possess the talent and application to also find themselves under consideration for the main prize.

It follows therefore that six of the seven Kopa winners have achieved this, the only exception being Barcelona’s 21-year-old midfielder Gavi.  

As with Bouaddi and Cubarsi, however, time is very much on his side to amend this. The average age of the 30-man shortlist last year was 27.

The seven Kopa Trophy recipients so far

Kylian Mbappe (2018)

Matthijs de Light (2019)

Pedri (2021)

Gavi (2022)

Jude Bellingham (2023)

Lamine Yamal (2024)

Lamine Yamal (2025)

Best in class   

Purely for fun, let’s highlight which particular year contains the most players who have been nominated for both awards.

The Class of 2021 was a bumper crop, but it pales to a year later.

Seven of the 10 Kopa nominees in 2022 have additionally been Ballon d’Or nominated.

The class of 2022

Gavi

Eduardo Camavinga 

Jamal Musiala

Jude Bellingham

Nuno Mendes

Ryan Gravenberch

Josko Gvardiol 

Bukayo Saka

Karim Adeyemi 

Florian Wirtz