Lamine Yamal, Désiré Doué, João Neves, and Estêvão Among 2025 Kopa Trophy Nominees for Best Young Player at Ballon d'Or

Lamine Yamal leads the list of nominees for the 2025 Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best under-21 player of the year at the Ballon d’Or. The Barcelona forward, who won the award in 2024, is aiming to become the first player to claim the trophy in consecutive years.

He is joined on the shortlist by Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille), Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona), Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain), Estêvão (Palmeiras, now signed to Chelsea), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Rodrigo Mora (Porto), João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), and Kenan Yıldız (Juventus).

In the women’s category, the nominees include Michelle Agyemang (Arsenal), Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid), Wieke Kaptein (Chelsea), Claudia Martínez Ovando (Club Olimpia), and Vicky López (Barcelona), who becomes the first Spanish player to be nominated in this section.

The winners will be announced during the Ballon d’Or ceremony on September 22, 2025, in Paris. The Kopa Trophy, named after French legend Raymond Kopa, is decided by a panel of former Ballon d’Or winners and recognises the most exceptional young talent in world football.