Kopa Trophy 2021: Saka, Greenwood, Pedri, more nominated for award

Kopa Trophy 2021: Mason Greenwood, Bukayo Saka, Pedri Gonzalez among others nominated for the prestigious award, check out the full list- The annual award is presented by France Football and recognizes the best player in the world under the age of 21. Former recipients of the Ballon d’Or select the winner, with Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe clinching the inaugural award in 2018 and Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt victorious the following year. The Kopa Trophy was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Kopa Trophy 2021: Mason Greenwood, Bukayo Saka, Pedri Gonzalez among others nominated for the prestigious award, check out full list

Nominees for the Kopa Trophy, for the best-performing U21 player 👶

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Jude Bellingham
🇧🇪 Jeremy Doku
🇳🇱 Ryan Gravenberch
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Greenwood
🇵🇹 Nuno Mendes
🇩🇪 Jamal Musiala
🇪🇸 Pedri
🇺🇸 Giovanni Reyna
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Bukayo Saka
🇩🇪 Florian Wirtz

2018: Mbappe 🏆
2019: De Ligt 🏆
2021: _______?

— Futball Ward (@TheFutballWard) October 9, 2021

The nominees for the Kopa Trophy 2021 are:

Bukayo Saka (England/ Arsenal)

Pedri Gonzalez (Spain/ Barcelona)

Florian Wirtz (Germany/ Bayer Leverkusen)

Giovanni Reyna (U.S.A/ Borussia Dortmund)

Mason Greenwood (England/ Manchester United)

Jude Bellingham (England/Borussia Dortmund)

Jeremy Doku (Belgium/ Rennes)

Ryan Gravenberch (The Netherlands/ Ajax)

Jamal Musiala (Germany/ Bayern Munich)

Nuno Mendes (Portugal/ PSG)

Kopa Trophy 2021: Mason Greenwood, Bukayo Saka, Pedri Gonzalez among others nominated for the prestigious award, check out full list

Kopa Trophy 2021: English internationals

England internationals Mason Greenwood, Bukayo Saka, and Jude Bellingham are among the ten nominees for the 2021 Kopa Trophy.

Saka enjoyed a wonderful year with Arsenal, becoming arguably the club’s most important player, and also played a big part in England’s run to the Euro 2020 final; a final in which he disappointingly missed a decisive spot-kick. Like Saka, Bellingham played a role in England’s successful summer and has become a vital player for Borussia Dortmund over the past 12 months.

While Greenwood was not a part of the Three Lions squad which made it to the final in July, he has been on fire at the start of the current season with Man Utd. The 20-year-old already has three Premier League goals to his name in seven appearances, and will undoubtedly add to that tally after the October international break.

Kope Trophy 2021: Bundesliga dominates the list

There are a few Premier League-based players nominated, the rest of the list is dominated by Bundesliga talent. The German top flight boasts 40% of the nominees for the award – Bellingham, Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, and Giovanni Reyna.

Perhaps the favorite for the award however comes from La Liga. Barcelona starlet Pedri has burst onto the scene in 2021, winning Euro 2020 young player of the tournament, and becoming the most talked-about young midfielder in recent memory.

Kopa Trophy 2021: Mason Greenwood, Bukayo Saka, Pedri Gonzalez among others nominated for the prestigious award, check out full list

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