The Kopa Trophy award is a category of the Ballon d’Or program that is meant for the young footballer of the year.
After a long 2022–23 season, it is time to award players who have played a significant role in assisting their clubs in playing at the highest level and winning titles.
The nomination for the Kopa Trophy was made on September 6, 2023, with just 10 players making the list.
These are the nominees for the 2023 Kopa Trophy and their chances of winning the award.
1. Alejandro Balde (Barcelona)
Since the end of Jordi Alba’s tenure, Balde has been a better replacement for the Spanish legend.
Since his breakthrough to the first team, the defender has made 36 appearances, scoring a goal and creating six assists.
He won the La Liga title last season. However, his chances of winning the award are limited due to his stats and a quick exit from the Champions League.
2. Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid)
The Real Madrid midfielder had a nice season with Borussia Dortmund and almost led them to winning the Bundesliga title at the end of the season.
He continued his form at Real Madrid, scoring five goals in four matches for the Los Blancos.
Bellingham had already won the hearts of Real Madrid fans, scoring late goals to secure wins on different occasions.
In the 2022–23 season, the English star scored 14 goals in 42 appearances. He is one of the players on the list who has the highest chances of winning the award due to his consistency over the years.
3. Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid)
The French midfielder had a good run in the 2022–23 Champions League which ended in the semi final and was instrumental in Real Madrid’s success last season.
Carlo Ancelotti made use of this player in different places on the field due to his diversity.
He won the Copa del Rey last season. Camavinga had 59 appearances but couldn’t score any goals. Although, he created two assists for Real Madrid.
However, his chances of winning the Kopa Award are minimal.
4. Gavi (Barcelona)
The Barcelona midfielder won the award last season, ahead of Jamal Musiala. For the 2023 season, he is also in contention to win the award. However, there are limited chances of winning the award.
Apart from winning La Liga, he couldn’t save Barcelona from an early Champions League exit.
He made 49 appearances last season, scoring three goals and creating seven assists. In the 2023–24 season, the midfielder had scored a goal in four appearances.
5. Antonio Silva (Benfica)
The young star from Portugal made this list after an impressive performance with Benfica. Last season, the defender made 46 appearances, scoring five goals.
He won the 2022–23 Portuguese League and the Portuguese Super League in 2023 with Benfica.
However, his chances of winning the prestigious individual award are low due to zero recognition in Europe.
6. Elye Wahi (Montpellier, RC Lens)
The 20-year-old striker scored 19 goals in 33 appearances for Montpellier.
His beautiful performance got the attention of Chelsea and other big teams in Europe, but he decided to move to RC Lens.
His chances of winning the young player of the year in minimal due to Montpellier inability to win a major title.
7. Xavi Simons (PSV Eindhoven/RB Leipzig)
The intelligent youngster had a quite impressive 2022–23 season with PSV under their former manager, Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
He was the Eredivise top scorer last season with 19 goals. Xavi won the Dutch Cup and the Dutch Super Cup in the 2022–23 season.
However, he has a huge chance of winning the Kopa Trophy.
8. Pedri (Barcelona)
The Barcelona midfielder won the Kopa Trophy in 2021. He has been one of the most important player for Barcelona and the Spain national team in 2022/23 season.
He already scored a goal in the 2023/24 season and is currently out due to Hamstring injury.
Last season, he helped Barcelona win the La Liga title with seven goals in 35 matches. Although, winning the Kopa Trophy this year will be extremely difficult for him.
9. Rasmus Hojlund (Atalanta/Manchester United)
The Manchester United striker had quite an impressive season at Atalanta before moving to Manchester United in a deal worth €75 million.
The Danish striker helped his club win a lot of games last season scoring 16 goals and creating seven assists in 42 appearances in all competitions for the club.
Due to Atalanta inability to win any trophy last season. It will be difficult for the striker to win the award.
10. Jamal Musiala
Last season, the Internet users claimed Musiala was robbed of winning the Kopa Trophy after Gavin won the award.
The youngster is one of the most talented players in the German Bundesliga. He helped Bayern Munich in securing the German league last season.
He made 47 appearances for Bayern Munich last season scoring 16 goals and creating 16 assists in all competitions.
Musiala chances of winning the Kopa Trophy is 90% due to his contributions to the Germany national team and Bayern Munich.
