It's coming up – so what exactly is the Kopa Trophy? The nominations for this year's Ballon d'Or were confirmed last week as the planet's best players get set for an awards bash that will see football's biggest individual prize handed out.
Sir Stanley Matthews was the very first of a long list of illustrious winners in 1956, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi dominated the event in recent years – although a new winner is guaranteed this year, as neither of the two 2000s icons have been nominated for the first time since 2003.
As the favourites start to emerge, it's not just the Ballon d'Or that will be dished out at during the glittering awards do at the end of October. Here's a look at one of the other awards that will be handed out.
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What is the Kopa Trophy?
The Kopa Trophy is an award that is handed out to the best player under the age of 21 and was first awarded in 2018, when Kylian Mbappe won the prize.
The jury tasked with deciding the winner consists of former Ballon d'Or winners and is open to players from across the world, differentiating it from the Golden Boy award, which is for European-based players only.
The gong is named after former France footballer Raymond Kopa, who won the 1958 Ballon 'Or and the other previous winners include Barcelona duo Gavi and Pedi, Matthijs de Light and Jude Bellingham, who won it last year, when he pipped Jamal Musiala and Pedri to the award.
The Kopa Trophy is one of several awards, including the Yashin Trophy, the Gerd Muller Trophy and the Socrates Award. The Ballon d'Or Feminin is always awarded on the same night, too.
Who is nominated for the Kopa trophy this year?
The nominations for the 2024 Kopa Trophy are:
- Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona)
- Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United)
- Arda Guler (Real Madrid)
- Karim Konate (Red Bull Salzburg)
- Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United)
- Joao Neves (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Savinho (Manchester City)
- Mathys Tel (Bayern Munich)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcalona)
- Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Sain-Germain)
More Ballon d'Or stories
The lost generation of the Ballon d'Or: Will a 90s-born player ever win the award?
Cristiano Ronaldo hints at Ballon d'Or snub in criticism of major awards
