Ballon d’Or 2024: Lamine Yamal hopes ‘this is just the first of many trophies’ after he was named the Kopa Trophy winner
Barcelona’s Spanish international striker Lamine Yamal hopes ‘this is just the first of many trophies’ after he succeeded Jude Bellingham as the Kopa Trophy winner.
He was voted ahead of Real Madrid’s Turkish midfielder Arda Güler and Manchester United’s English midfielder Kobbie Mainoo in the Kopa Trophy standings.
The Kopa Trophy rewards the best young player under 21 years old.
Yamal, 17, is a runner-up in the Spanish league with Barcelona behind Real Madrid.
He was also European champion with Spain and youngest goalscorer in the history of the tournament. He was named best young player of the competition with four assists to his name.
He played 37 La Liga matches (5 goals and 7 assists) and 10 Champions League matches (2 assists).
‘I want to win everything with FC Barcelona, La Liga, the Champions League, everything. I hope this is just the first of many trophies. It means a lot to me to win this trophy, in front of so many promising young people,’ said the precocious teenager.
Yamal is following in the footsteps of Kylian Mbappé, Matthijs de Ligt, Pedri, Gavi and Bellingham. the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony, the FC Barcelona striker was awarded the Kopa Trophy on Monday, which designates the best under-21 player on the planet.
