All Kopa Trophy Winners: From Kylian Mbappe to Lamine Yamal (2018-2026)

Kopa Trophy started in 2018 as the newest award constituted by France Football to identify the most impressive young players under 21 years old. This European-based only award was named after the former France footballer and Ballon d’Or winner Raymond Kopa. The association football presents this relatively new award just around the Ballon d’Or to the most outstanding young players in the world. Every year, a tremendous number of players burst onto the football field to gain fame, but only a selected few individuals manage to create an impact. Thus, to celebrate their performance on the big stage and select the best talent of the year, this Kopa Trophy was introduced.

The first award was granted in 2018 to the young and talented footballer Kylian Mbappe, who set a high bar for future winners. The voting is done by the former Ballon d’Or award winners, which makes the award different from other youth football awards. Such a voting system guarantees that winners are elected by the elite, making the award credible.

It has thereby effectively formed a part of the prompt identification of future talent, where many of these winners, including the aforementioned Matthijs de Ligt, who won it in 2019, and Pedri, who won it in 2021, play a pivotal role in both their respective clubs and country outfit today, let alone Gavi, who won the award in 2022. The latest recipient of the award was Barcelona's another wonderkid, Lamine Yamal, who bagged it for the third time this year after 2025. The award gala takes place in parallel with the Ballon d’Or ceremony, which links the current football giants with future generations and contributes to the current success of Kopa’s important achievements in French and world football.

Kopa Trophy Winner 2026

Lamine Yamal created history by breaking the previous record for getting the most votes of Kylian Mbappe 110 votes by 113 votes in 2024, before making a new record in 2025 with 124 points. He was in sensational form for Barcelona as well as for Spain. The Spanish international won the FIFA World Cup a few months ago where he performed exceptionally well for his team to his performances in the El-Classicos where he showed why he is one of the best young footballers in the world currently.

From former PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe to current winner Lamine Yamal, let’s take a look at the list of all previous Kopa Trophy winners:

List of All Kopa Trophy Winners