Kopa Trophy 2025: Who Dey Hot for di Best Young Footballer Award?
Di Kopa Trophy na one big award wey dem dey give to di best young footballer wey never reach 21 years for di whole world. E dey happen every year as part of di Ballon d’Or ceremony, and na France Football, di organizers, dey run am.
Dem name di award after Raymond Kopa, one French football legend wey win Ballon d’Or for 1958. For 2025, di Kopa Trophy don add something new—dem go give award to both male and female players wey dey under 21.
Dis na di first time dem go do dis kain thing for women, and e don make football fans dey excited well-well. Today, August 7, 2025, na di day wey France Football drop di list of nominees, and we go break am down for you in pidgin, using di correct women’s list from Squawka. So, siddon, grab your drink, and let’s yarn about di young stars wey dey shine.
Wetin Be Kopa Trophy?
Before we jump into di nominees, make we talk small about wetin di Kopa Trophy be. Di award start for 2018, and e dey celebrate young players wey dey do wonders for field.
Unlike di Golden Boy award wey only European players fit win, Kopa Trophy dey open to players from any part of di world—Africa, Asia, South America, anywhere! Na former Ballon d’Or winners dey vote for di winner, and dem dey pick di best based on how di player perform for di previous season.
For 2025, dem announce 10 nominees for di men’s category and five for di women’s category. Di winners go collect dia trophy on September 22, 2025, for di Ballon d’Or gala in Paris.
Men’s Kopa Trophy Nominees for 2025
Di men’s category always dey hot because young boys dey scatter pitch with skills wey fit make your mouth open. Based on reports from Sporting News and Olympics.com, di 2025 nominees list don drop, and e get some names wey dey make waves. Here na di 10 players wey make di shortlist for di men’s Kopa Trophy:
1. Pau Cubarsi (FC Barcelona and Spain)– Dis 18-year-old defender na rock for Barcelona backline. E help Spain win gold for di Paris Olympics, and e dey show say young defenders fit shine too.
2. Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille and France) – Dis midfielder na one to watch. E dey control midfield for Lille with plenty sense, and France fans dey hope say e go be dia next big star.
3. Désiré Doué (PSG and France) – Dis guy just move to PSG from Benfica, and e dey show say e get flair and speed wey fit trouble any defense.
4. Estevao (Chelsea and Brazil) – Brazil always dey produce hot talents, and Estevao na one of dem. E dey play for Chelsea, and e get eye for goal.
5. Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid and Spain) – Another defender wey dey make name. E dey play for Real Madrid, and e get composure wey pass e age.
6. Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal and England)– Arsenal fans dey happy with dis young midfielder. E dey bring energy and creativity to di Gunners’ squad.
7. Rodrigo Mora (Porto and Portugal)– Porto get one gem in dis attacking midfielder. E dey score and assist like say e no hard.
8. João Neves (PSG and Portugal) – Another PSG signing wey dey shine. Neves na box-to-box midfielder wey fit do everything.
9. Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona and Spain) – Dis 17-year-old na di big favorite to win di award. After e win Euro 2024 Young Player award, everybody dey expect am to carry dis one.
10. Kenan Yildiz (Juventus and Türkiye)– Dis winger dey cause wahala for Juventus with e dribbling and goals.
Lamine Yamal dey lead di pack because of e outstanding performance for Barcelona and Spain. E score and assist plenty for Euro 2024, and at 17, e don dey compete with senior players. But players like João Neves and Estevao fit give am tough competition because dem too get mad talent.
Women’s Kopa Trophy Nominees for 2025
For di first time, di Kopa Trophy go get women’s category for 2025, and e dey show say women’s football dey grow big time. According to di official list from Squawka, here na di five nominees for di women’s Kopa Trophy:
1. Michelle Agyemang (Arsenal and England)– Dis young forward dey make waves for Arsenal with her speed and goal-scoring ability.
2. Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid and Colombia) – Di Colombian winger na one of di best young attackers in di world, with mad dribbling skills and flair.
3. Wieke Kaptein (Chelsea and Netherlands) – Dis midfielder dey bring control and creativity to Chelsea, and she dey show plenty potential.
4. Vicky López (FC Barcelona and Spain) – Another Barcelona star, dis midfielder dey run games with her vision and passing.
5. Claudia Martínez Ovando (Club América and Paraguay) – Dis Paraguayan talent dey shine for Club América, bringing goals and energy to di pitch.
Di women’s category go be tight because all these players dey bring fire to di pitch. Linda Caicedo and Vicky López dey among di favorites because of dia consistent performances for club and country, but Michelle Agyemang and Wieke Kaptein fit surprise everybody with dia talent.
Why Dis List Dey Cause Wahala
Di 2025 Kopa Trophy nominees dey show say young players dey take over football. For di men’s side, Lamine Yamal dey get all di attention because e don already prove say e fit play with di big boys.
E performance for Euro 2024, where e help Spain win di trophy, make am di one to beat. But players like João Neves, wey dey run midfield for PSG, and Estevao, wey dey shine for Chelsea, go give am run for e money.
For di women’s side, di competition go be fire too, as players like Linda Caicedo and Vicky López dey show say women’s football na force to reckon with. Claudia Martínez Ovando, wey dey represent Paraguay and Club América, na proof say talent dey come from all corners of di world.
Di Kopa Trophy dey different from other awards because e dey look at players from all over di world, not just Europe. Dis make di competition tougher, as e dey bring talents from Africa, South America, and Asia into di mix.
Di voting system, wey former Ballon d’Or winners dey handle, dey make sure say only di best of di best fit win, as dem dey judge based on performance, impact, and potential.
Wetin Dey Next?
As we dey wait for di Ballon d’Or gala on September 22, 2025, di talk go plenty about who go win. Fans go dey argue for social media, especially on X, about dia favorite players.
Di men’s category fit see Lamine Yamal follow in di footsteps of Kylian Mbappe (2018), Matthijs de Ligt (2019), Pedri (2021), Gavi (2022), and Jude Bellingham (2023), all of whom don win di award before.
For di women’s side, dis na new ground, so di winner go make history as di first-ever female Kopa Trophy winner.
Final Tots
Di 2025 Kopa Trophy nominees list na proof say di future of football dey bright.
From Lamine Yamal to Linda Caicedo, these young stars dey show say age no be barrier to greatness. Whether you dey support Barcelona, Chelsea, or Real Madrid, you go find one player to root for.
Make we dey watch as di race to di September 22 gala dey heat up. Who you dey bet on to carry di trophy? Drop your toughts for X, and let’s yarn!