Lionel Messi's vote for the 2023 Kopa Trophy emerges | OneFootball

Highlights

Lionel Messi’s votes for the 2023 Kopa Trophy have been revealed following Jude Bellingham’s victory on Monday. And they have caused quite a stir online.

Not to be confused with the long-standing Golden Boy award, the honour was created in 2018, naming it after the 1958 Ballon d’Or winner, Raymond Kopa. Open to players from around the world, prestigious names to have won the trophy in the past, the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Matthijs de Ligt, Pedri, and Gavi in 2022's edition.

While the jury for the more senior award, won by Messi for an eighth time this year, is made up of sports journalists, only former Ballon d’Or winners are allowed to vote in the Kopa Trophy proceedings. The best of the best in years gone by essentially give their blessing to the new generation of footballers coming through the ranks by bestowing the award on them every year, picking three players and ranking them.

Several legends voted for Bellingham this year

This year, it only ever seemed like there would be one winner, with Bellingham earning the title of best U21 talent in the world after several impressive displays for club and country. A key presence for England in their World Cup run in 2022, he then also dragged Borussia Dortmund to within an inch of the Bundesliga title, before Bayern Munich pipped them to it on the final day.

However, things have only gotten even better for the 20-year-old following his summer move to Real Madrid for £88.5m. Since his arrival, he has scored 13 goals in 13 games, including a stunning goal in El Clasico against Barcelona, before following that up with a last-minute winner.

His incredible 2023 was enough to sway the minds of multiple legends of the game, who all gave their blessing to the talented wonderkid. Former Los Blancos icons like Kaka, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, and Fabio Cannavaro all put him at the top of their lists, as did Ronaldo Nazario, Marco van Basten, Ronaldinho and others. You can see the full list in a tweet from Fabrizio Romano below.

Messi's vote emerges

With eight Ballon d'Or's to his name, Messi was just one of the people to give his say on who the most promising youngster in the world is today. But he didn't pick Bellingham as his number one. He didn't even have the midfielder second shockingly.

Yes, that's right, Messi gave the Real Madrid man a bronze medal in his list, something which many people would dispute. But who then did he vote for as his one and two?

Taking home a silver medal was Barcelona star Pedri, who collected the award in 2021. Having won the La Liga title under Xavi last season, he has become one of the most promising midfielders in the world alongside Bellingham, with the duo likely to be the face of El Clasico for years to come.

Messi's top spot, however, went to Jamal Musiala, who paid tribute to his friend Bellingham following his win on Monday. The German had to settle for a silver medal in this year's race overall, with him finishing third in the runnings for the last two years.

The trio on Messi's list did make up the podium in the end, but given Bellingham's extraordinary year, it is a surprise to see him not take the top spot on the Argentine's list. With all the legends of the game giving their number one vote to the Real Madrid star, though, there was only ever going to be one outcome in the end.