Kopa 2025: Yamal, Doue, Arsenal teenager lead nominees for Ballon d'Or best young player award

Ifeanyi Ufomadu 15:02 - 07 August 2025

The nominees for this year's Kopa Trophy have been announced, featuring several excellent young players.

The shortlist for the best young player of the just-concluded 2024-25 season features standout names from La Liga, Ligue 1, the Premier League, and the Champions League.

Kopa 2025 Nominees

The nominees include Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille), Desire Doue (PSG), Estevao (Palmeiras/Chelsea), Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth/Real Madrid), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Rodrigo Mora (Porto), Joao Neves (PSG), and Kenan Yildiz (Juventus). Barcelona’s 18-year-old star Lamine Yamal.

Lamine Yamal will wear the number 10 for Barcelona, following in the footsteps of Lionel Messi.

🚨⭐️ OFFICIAL: Kopa Trophy nominees for best young talent of the year at Ballon d’Or.

Who’d you vote for? 🗳️ pic.twitter.com/BTEzhZKRNQ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 7, 2025

Yamal, now wearing Lionel Messi’s iconic No.10, led the Blaugrana to La Liga and Copa del Rey glory in 2024-25.

PSG’s Desire Doue and Joao Neves were instrumental in their club’s historic Champions League triumph.

Desire Doue vs Lamine Yamal debate rages on | Credit: Getty Images

Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly earned a senior England call-up, while Chelsea’s new signing Estevao, a Brazilian prodigy, joins the Premier League for 2025-26.

It will certainly be a close run award, but some believe Yamal's eyes should be firmly on the Ballon d'Or prize, with the likes of Doue striving for the Kopa..