2025 Kopa Trophy Nominees—Ranked

One of 10 nominees will be named the world’s best wonderkid at September’s 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Désiré Doué is among the ten nominees. / IMAGO/Pacific Press Agency

The nominees have now been revealed for each Ballon d’Or award category ahead of September’s prestigious annual ceremony in Paris.

There are an array of prizes on offer and ten of the brightest young talents in the men’s game will be competing to clinch the Kopa Trophy—the award handed out to the best player under the age of 21 from August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025.

Only one of the ten nominees will scoop the award previously won by the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Pedri, with one of this year’s contenders aiming to become the first person in history to win the prize twice.

Here is Sports Illustrated’s ranking of the 2025 Kopa Trophy nominees.

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10. Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille/France)

The Lille midfielder is a rising star. / IMAGO / DeFodi Image

Ayyoub Bouaddi might be one of the lesser-known names on this year’s shortlist—but that won’t last for long.

The French midfielder enjoyed a superb breakthrough season with Lille in 2024–25. His raw numbers—no goals and just two assists in 36 appearances—don’t jump off the page, but Bouaddi’s game isn’t defined by stats. Instead, he thrives in the engine room: dictating tempo from deep, breaking up play, threading passes, and showing a tactical awareness beyond his years.

It’s not the flashiest role, but it’s one every great team needs. At just 17, Bouaddi already looks like a future star—he arguably is one already.

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9. Rodrigo Mora (Porto/Portugal)

Rodrigo Mora has caught the eye in Portugal. / Susana Vera-Reuters via Imagn Images

Rodrigo Mora only made his senior debut last season but swiftly became an important ingredient in Porto’s squad. The versatile attacking midfielder ended the term with 35 appearances to his name, with 11 goals and four assists in all competitions. A fine tally for an 18-year-old.

Already renowned for his technical quality and attacking invention, Mora appears to be another starlet fresh from Portugal’s wonderkid factory, with Europe’s top dogs having been tentatively linked during the summer transfer window.

However, continuing with Porto for the next year or two is the wise move, allowing him to hone his craft in a familiar environment and potentially climb the Kopa Trophy rankings in seasons still to come.

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8. Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal/England)

Myles Lewis-Skelly impressed during his breakout season in north London. / IMAGO/News Images

Myles Lewis-Skelly only made his Arsenal debut in September 2024, but his rise since then has been meteoric. A year on, he’s not just a fixture in Mikel Arteta’s lineup at the Emirates but also breaking into the England setup.

Tenacious in the tackle yet calm and composed on the ball, Lewis-Skelly is as comfortable playing in his natural role at left-back as he is stepping into holding midfield, where he impressed whenever called upon last season.

Unlike countryman and fellow full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose midfield experiments have sometimes felt like a compromise, Lewis-Skelly looks a natural in either position. He combines technical quality with a combative edge—the kind of player every top side craves—and some of his best performances last season arrived on the biggest stages.

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7. Estêvão (Chelsea/Brazil)

Estêvão is an exciting talent. / IMAGO/Brazil Photo Press

Estêvão Willian didn’t just break Neymar’s records in the Brazilian Série A last season—he smashed them.

At just 17, he became the first player under 18 to record 20 goal contributions in a single Série A campaign, eclipsing Neymar’s mark of 16 as a teenager. By the time he turned 18 in April, he had already registered 21 goals for Palmeiras, setting a new benchmark for a Brazilian teenager in the 21st century. Neymar’s equivalent record—19 goals for Santos in 2010—was left behind.

It was a truly astonishing breakthrough year that caught the world’s attention, and Estêvão has wasted no time proving himself at the next level. Already scoring for both Chelsea and Brazil, he looks like a generational talent.

Perhaps one day, Estêvão won’t just lift the Kopa Trophy—but the Ballon d’Or itself, an accolade Neymar, for all his brilliance, has never managed to win.

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6. Kenan Yıldız (Juventus/Türkiye)

The Juventus winger has huge potential. / IMAGO/Gribaudi/ImagePhoto

Kenan Yıldız is undoubtedly one of the most exciting forwards currently plying his trade in Europe, with Juventus quickly embracing the youngster’s genius. He’s already nearing 100 appearances for the senior side, 32 of which came in 2023–24 as he established himself as a first-team regular.

He managed four goals in his breakout campaign but massively boosted his output last season, producing 12 goals and seven assists in all competitions with the Old Lady, proving himself to be a direct and fearsome ball striker. Having already impressed with Türkiye at Euro 2024, he kept the good times rolling in Serie A.

Yıldız is another who has been tipped for greatness and potential world domination, but unfortunately for the 20-year-old, a number of his young peers are a notch or two above his current standard.

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5. Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid/Spain)

Dean Huijsen earned a move to Real Madrid following his 2024–25 success. / IMAGO/Maciej Rogowski

One that Juve let slip through the cracks was Dean Huijsen. They allowed the Spain international to join Bournemouth last summer and were quickly left to rue the transfer as the centre back developed into a colossal force on England’s south coast.

An injury to Marcos Senesi helped open the door for Huijsen, and the towering defender never looked back, ending the campaign with 36 appearances, three goals and a Premier League Young Player of the Season nomination for a Cherries side that impressed in Andoni Iraola’s second year.

An almighty tug-of-war for his signature broke out early in this summer’s transfer window, with Real Madrid ultimately winning the battle. The Spanish giants have recruited one of the classiest young defenders on the planet, and Huijsen, despite seeing red twice, looks at ease in one of the most demanding football environments

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4. Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona/Spain)

Pau Cubarsí is wise beyond his years. / IMAGO/SOPA Images

Despite being only 18, Pau Cubarsí already feels like a seasoned veteran—and in some ways, he is.

The young Spaniard made his Barcelona debut at just 16 and has since not only cemented his place in Hansi Flick’s all-conquering side, but also established himself as one of the best central defenders in the world.

Hailed as the long-term successor to Gerard Piqué, Cubarsí combines tactical intelligence and combative defending with a remarkable passing range capable of slicing through opposition lines. With him patrolling the back four, Barcelona’s defence looks well-positioned for the long term.

Cruelly, Cubarsí’s position means he has his work cut out if he’s to win any esteemed individual honour. Matthijs de Ligt is the only defender to win the Kopa Trophy since its inception in 2018.

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3. João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain/Portugal)

João Neves is a classy operator. / IMAGO/Gerrit van Keulen IV

João Neves may stand just 5’9”, but what he lacks in stature, he more than makes up for in skill and intelligence.

The Portuguese playmaker is a masterful deep-lying central midfielder, seamlessly linking defence and attack. He excels at winning the ball back with tenacity, distributing it with precision, and using his low centre of gravity and agility to evade pressure and accelerate into space.

Neves was a key figure in PSG’s triumphant 2024–25 campaign, helping the club secure a historic domestic treble and their first-ever Champions League

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2. Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain/France)

Désiré Doué dazzled in the Champions League final. / MAGO/PsnewZ

You only need to look at the 2025 Champions League final to understand why Désiré Doué is being tipped as one of football’s brightest young stars.

In PSG’s emphatic 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan, the then-19-year-old stole the spotlight, scoring twice, assisting once, and dictating the game on the biggest stage of all. Performances of that calibre are remarkable for a teenager – but for Doué, it was business as usual.

He was a driving force in PSG’s historic quadruple, blending creativity, composure, and cutting-edge in both the attack and midfield. Enrique’s side went up a notch when the Spaniard turned to Doué more regularly during the second half of the season.

France has produced many generational talents in recent decades – and Doué looks set to be the next.

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1. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona/Spain)

Lamine Yamal was sensational for Barcelona last term. / IMAGO/Penta Press

The reason Doué will not be optimistic ahead of the Ballon d’Or ceremony is Lamine Yamal. The current Kopa Trophy holder looks destined to defend his crown in 2025 after another astonishing year at Barcelona in which he toppled countless records.

Week after week, the teenager shredded La Liga and Europe’s toughest defences with effortless brilliance, ending the campaign on a staggering 18 goals and 25 assists as Barcelona stormed to a historic domestic treble.

Much like Lionel Messi before him, when Barça need a spark, they simply give the ball to Yamal and let him go to work. The difference? At just 18, he’s already producing on a level even Messi didn’t reach as a teenager. And the scary part? This is only the beginning.

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