Who won the Kopa Trophy 2025? Lamine Yamal retains Ballon d’Or best young player award

Lamine Yamal won the Kopa Trophy in 2024 on the back of outstanding performances for Barcelona and Spain.

The award is presented as part of the annual Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris and was handed out once again on September 22. It recognises the best young male player in world football.

Previous winners include Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham and, since its introduction in the previous decade, the Kopa Trophy has become one of the most coveted individual prizes in football.

The inaugural Women’s Kopa Trophy was also presented as part of the 2025 Ballon d’Or celebrations.

MORE: Ballon d’Or 2025 LIVE updates | All-time winners list 

Who won the 2025 Kopa Trophy

Lamine Yamal became the first player ever to retain the Kopa Trophy. The Barcelona star came in ahead of Paris Saint-Germain duo Desire Doue and Joao Neves in second and third respectively.

It was a double triumph for Barcelona as Vicky Lopez ​​​​​​became the first winner of the women’s Kopa Trophy. Real Madrid’s Linda Caicedo and Chelsea’s Wieke Kaptein completed the podium.

Back-to-back Kopa Trophy winner, Lamine Yamal 💎#UCL || #ballondor pic.twitter.com/hSyLH7BvV0

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 22, 2025

What is the Kopa Trophy?

The Kopa Trophy is an annual prize given to the best male soccer player in the world under the age of 21, as determined by the Ballon d’Or jury voting system.

The trophy can be won by a player outside Europe, which makes it different to the Golden Boy prize, which can only be one by a player in UEFA’s league system.

The award is named after Raymond Kopa, the former Real Madrid and France star who won the Ballon d’Or in 1958.

In 2025, the Kopa Trophy will also be awarded to the best under-21 female player for the first time.

Can a player win the Kopa Trophy twice?

Yes, as Lamine Yamal showed in 2025! So long as a player is aged under 21, they are eligible to be nominated.

Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala finished on the podium for three years in a row, finishing third in 2021 and 2022 before coming in as runner-up to Jude Bellingham in 2023. Barcelona midfielder Pedri was third that year, having won in 2021 ahead of Bellingham.

Lamine Yamal’s won as a 17-year-old in 2024 and he will remain eligable for the Kopa Trophy for another three years.

Kopa Trophy nominees 2025

The nominees for the Kopa Trophy 2025 were announced in August alongside the nominees for all categories at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.

List of nominees for 2025 Men’s  Kopa Trophy

For the first time in 2025, a women’s Kopa Trophy was also awarded

List of nominees for 2025 Women’s  Kopa Trophy

*on loan from Arsenal

Kopa Trophy past winners

Kylian Mbappe won the inaugural Kopa Trophy in 2018 after winning the World Cup with France.