Things haven’t changed. For the second year in a row, Lamine Yamal has won the Kopa Trophy, the award that recognises the best footballer in the world under the age of 21. The youngster who picked up the prize at the 69th Ballon d’Or ceremony held at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, has made history. He is the first player ever to retain this prestigious honour, created by France Football magazine.

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On receiving the award, the youngster said "thank you very much to France Football for the prize, I'm proud to be back here. I want to thank FC Barcelona and the Spain team, I wouldn't be here today without them. He also had words to say about Cubarsí and Raphinha, who were also in Paris, and for his family. "I hope to keep working and doing much more" he concluded.

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The Kopa Trophy has been awarded since 2018 in the men’s category, and until now it had always had a new winner each year. That was until Lamine Yamal came along. At just 18 years old, having celebrated his birthday last July, Barça’s number 10 has already established himself as one of the leading figures on the global football stage. He has also become something of a specialist in breaking records for precocity.

Barça hegemony 

In retaining his own crown, the teenager has also reinforced Barça’s dominance of the award. This is only the seventh edition of the Kopa Trophy, and a blaugrana player has won it four times – more than half, a staggering achievement. Pedri (2021), Gavi (2022) and Yamal himself (2024) were his predecessors. For the second year running, Pau Cubarsí was also nominated. 

Amazing 2024/25 

Last season was an extraordinary campaign for Barça’s number 10. He played in 55 games under Hansi Flick, scoring 18 goals and providing 21 assists, a pivotal contribution to the team's domestic treble of Liga, Copa and Supercopa. He also shone with the Spanish national team, helping them reach the Nations League final.

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On an individual level, Lamine Yamal also collected a host of personal accolades. Among the most notable were the Kopa itself, the Golden Boy award, and the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year prize. He was also included in the FIFPRO World XI. In short, it’s already hard to keep track of all the honours he has received – and he’s still only 18 years old.

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