Saka,Greenwood and Bellingham all nominated for the 2021 Kopa Trophy

England stars Bukayo Saka, Mason Greenwood and Jude Bellingham revealed among 10 nominees vying to be crowned the world’s best player aged under 21 at Ballon d’Or awards

  • Bukayo Saka, Mason Greenwood and Jude Bellingham listed for the Kopa Trophy
  • The award is given to the best performing under 21 footballer in the world
  • PSG’s Kylian Mbappe and Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt are the previous winners 

England internationals Bukayo Saka, Mason Greenwood and Jude Bellingham have all been nominated for the 2021 Kopa Trophy.

The award is presented to the best performing under 21 players and it’s organised by France Football – similar to the Balon d’Or. 

Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has enjoyed a successful year for both club and country. He was a pivotal part of the England team that went all the way to the Euro 2020 final earlier in the summer. The 20-year-old also won the Gunners’ Player of The Season award last campaign. 

Bukayo Saka has been one of Arsenal’s stand-out consistent performers this year 

Mason Greenwood has established himself in Manchester United’s attack this year 

Mason Greenwood, 20, has shone in Manchester United’s attack and he has started this season in bright form – scoring three goals in seven Premier League appearances. 

Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham was named in England’s Euro 2020 squad at the age of just 17 and he has established himself as one of the best upcoming young midfielders in the world. 

Other nominees include Pedri, Jamal Musiala, Nuno Mendes, Giovanni Reyna, Florian Wirtz, Ryan Gravenberch and Jeremy Doku. 

The Kopa Trophy has only been around for a short period, with the first ever recipient being PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe in 2018.

Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt was the winner in 2019 after he helped former club Ajax reach the Champions League semi-final that year. 

Jude Bellingham was called into England’s Euro 2020 squad despite being just 17 at the time 

Pedri has been heavily involved for club and country, playing over 70 games in 2021

The award was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic but all eyes will be on the prize this time round. 

This year’s winner will be crowned in Paris on 29 November, alongside the men and women’s Balon d’Or winners. 

Kopa Trophy nominees: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Jérémy Doku (Rennes), Mason Greenwood (Man United), Pedri (Barcelona), Ryan Gravenberch (Ajax), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen), Giovanni Reyna (BVB), Jamal Musiala (Bayern), Jude Bellingham (BVB), Nuno Mendes (PSG).




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