Jude Bellingham made history at the Ballon d’Or awards ceremony on Monday by becoming the first English player to win the Kopa Trophy since its inception in 2018.
The Englishman finished 18th in the Ballon d’Or award rankings before being crowned the 2023 Kopa Trophy, an award given to the best young player under the age of 21.
The 20-year-old received the award at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris following his incredible start to his career at Real Madrid.
He moved to Real from Dortmund in the summer for €103 million – a record deal for a British player.
Bellingham has scored 13 goals in his first 13 games since joining Los Blancos, including an equaliser and a stoppage-time winner in Madrid’s recent El Clásico triumph against Barcelona.
The Kopa Trophy also recognises his performances last season for Borussia Dortmund and England. The midfielder scored 14 times for Dortmund and impressed in the World Cup in Qatar, helping England reach the quarter-finals.
Bellingham won the award ahead of Jamal Musiala, former winners Gavi and Pedri, and his Real Madrid team-mate Eduardo Camavinga.
Previous Kopa Trophy winners
Kylian Mbappe (2018)
Matthijs de Ligt (2019)
Pedri (2021)
Gavi (2022)
Rajan Sangha | GSFN
