Bellingham wins Kopa Trophy and Vini Jr. scoops Socrates Award | OneFootball

Jude Bellingham and Vini Jr. have both picked up prizes presented by France Football at Paris' at the Ballon d'Or gala 2023. The midfielder received the Kopa Trophy, which is awarded to the best U21 player in the world. Bellingham is enjoying a spectacular start to this campaign, having hit 13 goals in his first 13 games as a madridista. Last season, he was also named the Bundesliga's best player 2022/23, following his impressive displays for Borussia Dortmund.

The English ace said a few words after collecting his award from Eden Hazard: “I'd like to thank everyone for the support. Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and the English National Team. Thanks for helping me get to where I am today. This award means a lot. I remember my former teammates, they have all helped me so much. I'm wearing the number 5, I've got a long way to go to replicate what Zidane did. He's a player who inspires me."

His teammate Camavinga was also on the 10-man shortlist for the Kopa Trophy after winning the Club World Cup, the European Super Cup and the Copa del Rey for Real Madrid last season. The list of nominees was completed by Hojlund, Balde, Pedri, Xavi Simons, Musiala, Antonio Silva, Gavi and Wahi.

Socrates Award Vini Jr. received the Socrates Award which recognises footballers who show great commitment to charity and social projects. The Brazilian forward picked up the accolade for his work with the Instituto Vini Jr., which uses innovative teaching solutions to combat social inequality in his country by providing access to quality education. He is also aiming to reduce the digital gap in the Brazilian education system."

"I'm so happy to win this award and to be able to help so many favelas in Brazil. It's a real dream for me to be surrounded by so many wonderful players. We must always speak out against racism and I will do that wherever I can in order to help all players who experience it. I want to build my strength so I can keep fighting and ensure it becomes less common. It's a bit sad to have to talk about it," he said after receiving the prize.

Another nominee to this year's Socrates Award was madridista Antonio Rüdiger, whose Foundation seeks to help vulnerable people in Sierra Leone. The shortlist was completed by Alex Morgan, Asisat Oshoala and Marcus Rashford.