Lamine Yamal, Desire Doue and Michelle Agyemang are among the nominees for the prestigious Kopa Trophy awards up for grabs at the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
Best young talent on the planet to be recognisedPrizes on offer for stars of men & women's gameSome superstar performers on the two shortlistsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
As the prestigious Golden Ball event continues to grow, more and more prizes are being handed out. Leading performers from across the men’s and women’s game will be recognised when it comes to the most exciting young talent.
Some household names figure on the two shortlists, including wonderkids plying their trade in La Liga, Ligue 1, the Premier League, Champions League and WSL for the likes of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal – while also starring for their respective countries.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesMEN’S NOMINEES
Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona)
Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille)
Desire Doue (Paris Saint-Germain)
Estevao (Palmeiras/Chelsea)
Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth/Real Madrid)
Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal)
Rodrigo Mora (Porto)
Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain)
Kenan Yildiz (Juventus)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
GettyWOMEN’S NOMINEES
Michelle Agyemang (Brighton/Arsenal)
Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid)
Wieke Kaptein (Chelsea)
Claudia Martinez Ovando (Club Olimpia)
Vicky Lopez (Barcelona)
WHY HAVE THEY BEEN NOMINATED?
Barcelona sensation Yamal, who recently turned 18 and inherited Lionel Messi’s old No.10 shirt in Catalunya, helped the Blaugrana to La Liga and Copa del Rey titles in 2024-25.
France international Doue starred for PSG as they captured a historic Champions League crown, with Portuguese midfielder Joao Neves one of his club colleagues at Parc des Princes.
Myles Lewis-Skelly enjoyed a breakthrough year at Arsenal, while also making his senior England debut, and will be joined in the Premier League for the 2025-26 campaign by exciting Brazilian starlet Estevao – who has completed a big-money transfer to Chelsea.
In the women’s game, Agyemang is one of the five nominees after playing a super-sub role for England in their Euro 2025 triumph. The Arsenal-owned forward netted a couple of crucial goals there and was named Young Player of the Tournament.