2019 KOPA TROPHY AWARD NOMINEES
Since 2018, The Kopa Trophy is an award presented to the best performing player under the age of 21. It is organised by French magazine “France football” .
As France football released a list of final nominees for this year’s award, we analyse the 10 nominees.
MATTHIJS DE-LIGT
Date of birth/Age: Aug 12, 1999 (20)
Citizenship: Netherlands
Height: 1,89 m
Position: Centre-Back
Current international: Netherlands
Winner of the 2018 "Golden Boy" Award and the youngest captain in the knock-out phase of the Champions League at 19 years and 186 days Matthijs De-ligt is first on our list.
The 19-year-old centre-back has already showed that he is good enough physically and technically. He likes to keep things simple, although he is one of the best passers among Europe’s top defenders. His height, strength and speed are the reason for him getting so much attention. He already has the tactical knowledge and always finds the best positioning, so he can contribute to the team’s performance in the best possible way. His height is very useful from set-pieces as he is a huge threat in aerial duels. He joined Serie A giants Juventus in the summer and has since racked up 6 appearances for the Old lady in the league this season. He is one of the favorites for this year’s award.
VINICIUS JUNIOR
Date of birth/Age: Jul 12, 2000 (19)
Citizenship: Brazil
Height: 1,76 m
Position: Left Winger
Current international: Brazil
Brazil boy wonder and Real Madrid winger Vinicius junior is another nominee for the 2019 kopa trophy.
In a season that ranged from dismal to passable, in which Madrid fans desperately searched for someone to get excited about post-Cristiano Ronaldo, Vinicius quickly and unfairly became the cross-bearer expected to give the then European Champions the jolt they needed to awaken from their Lopetegui-era slumber.
With 4 goals and 6 assists for Real Madrid’s first team and a further 4 goals for Real Madrid Castilla in the 2018/19 season , Vinicius has carved his way into the final 10 nominees for one of footballs biggest prize.
Galatico faithfuls would be hopeful that Junior (who has moved from the youngster who msde cameo appearances to a first team starter) would follow in the footsteps of legendary Brazilians to have graced the Bernabeau.
KAI HAVERTZ
Date of birth/Age: Jun 11, 1999 (20)
Citizenship: Germany
Height: 1,89 m
Position: Attacking Midfield
Current international: Germany
When Bundesliga legend Lothar Matthaus calls you a talent of the century, then you really must be a very good footballer, and Kai Havertz earned that glowing report even before the 20-year-old scored the first goal in each of Leverkusen’s final three games of the 2018/19 season. The Bundesliga Player of the Month for April ended the season with a remarkable 17 goals and 3 assists – more than any teenager in the history of the Bundesliga, and scored another 3 in the Europa league.
The German international earned his spot in this year’s Kopa trophy nominee list (an unsurprising feat because of his great footballing feats).
Pursued by most of Europe’s elite clubs, Havertz is definitely one for the future and a serious contender for the award.
MATTEO GUENDOUZI
GDate of birth/Age: Apr 14, 1999 (20)
Citizenship: France
Height: 1,84 m
Position: Central Midfield
Current international : France
The arrival of Unai Emery as Arsenal gaffer ahead of the 2018/19 campaign saw the Spaniard sanction the signing of five first-team players – among them: French wonderkid Matteo Guendouzi. The Frenchman has surpassed all expectations, quickly becoming a mainstay in Emery’s side and playing a part in 48 games during his first campaign in England. Despite the arrival of creative midfield maestro Dani Ceballos this summer, Guendouzi has continued to see just as much action this term.
A versatile central midfielder – adept at playing on the left, right, or in the middle, can play in both the defensive and attacking halves of the pitch. This came in handy for Emery, who spent much of his first season struggling to determine his side’s tactics.
Guendouzi registered a goal for the gunners in the Europa league last season and 2 assists in the league cup and has already registered an assist in the premier league this season all from the middle of the park.
Considering his age and the enormous leap in quality from Ligue 2 to the Premier League, it is commendable that he managed to slot straight into the Arsenal first team. Whilst he still has much to learn if he is to develop into a top-quality central midfielder, Guendouzi is indeed a genuine contender for the kopa trophy and a star for the future.
ANDRIY LUNIN
Date of birth/Age: Feb 11, 1999 (20)
Citizenship: Ukraine
Height: 1,91 m
Position: Goalkeeper
Current international: Ukraine
The most talked about football players most of the time are the attacking players. So, when you see a defensive player (a goalkeeper to be precise) competing for top accolades, then you know such goalkeeper is really good.
At 6’3", the 20-year-old is nearly as tall as Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer and Man United’s David de Gea, which bodes well for him in the future as he will continue to grow. His game is similar to that of Neuer as well with his main strengths being his distribution and incredible reflexes.
Although many would say Lunin does have a knack for losing concentration, all that will be improved with more minutes and experience at the highest level. He has shown the potential is there and is tipped to become one of the best keepers in his generation alongside Italy’s Gianlugi Donarumma and France’s Alban Lafont and should be a serious contender for the kopa trophy.
JOÃO FÉLIX
Date of birth/Age: Nov 10, 1999 (19)
Citizenship: Portugal
Height: 1,80 m
Position: Second Striker
Current international: Portugal
To be tagged “The new Cristiano Ronaldo” is no ordinary feat. As Portuguese football fans prepare for the Post-Ronaldo era, very few persons would have thought that the next big thing in Portuguese football would be a certain teenager from Benfica.
In what is tagged as Portugal’s “golden generation” , A Seleção’s squad is filled with talented footballers. From Manchester City’s midfield maestro “Bernardo Silva” in attack to Sporting Lisbon skipper “Bruno Fernandes” and Ruben Neves from wolves in midfield down to Barcelona’s Nelson Semedo and Benfica’s Ruben Dias in defence,the whole squad is full of talent and there are reasons for Portuguese faithfuls to be excited about the future.
Despite the load of talent in the whole team, one name that has been on everyone’s lip is that of Athletico Madrid’s summer marquee signing “João Félix.
After a wonderful season in which he scored 19 goals and we’ll over 7 assists (including a Europa league hat-trick) , Diego Simeone-led Athletico Madrid had to cough out well over €100m to lure him to the Spanish capital.
With 4 caps already for Portugal and already contributing 3 goals out of Athleti’s 8 league goals this campaign (2 goals 1 assist), a goal in 2 Champions League appearances, Félix is nothing close to slowing down at the moment.
At just 19 years of age, Félix is considered a serious prospect for the future and is one of the favorite to go on to win the Kopa trophy (and even the Ballon d’or in the nearest future).
JADON SANCHO
Date of birth/Age: Mar 25, 2000 (19)
Citizenship: England
Height: 1,80 m
Position: Right Winger
Current international: England
“Jadon Sancho is the street footballer who can become England’s Neymar”, according to Dan Micciche, the 19-year-old’s former England youth coach.
Sancho left Manchester City for Dortmund just over 2 years ago in an effort to gain more game time. The move paid off: Having ended his first season with 12 Bundesliga appearances, he has become an integral part of Lucian Favre’s Dortmund side.
After scoring 1 goal and 4 assists (from 12 appearances) in his first season, Sancho contributed 12 goals and 14 assists (in 34 apps) in the Bundesliga in the 18/19 season and has already registered 3 league goals and 5 assists this campaign (in just 7 games).
The mention of his name sends Manchester United fans to a frenzy on social media as he continues to be linked with a big money move to the theatre of dreams.
In a generation where English talents are often viewed as overrated and average, Sancho has become one of 3 lion’s most lethal attackers over the past 18 months as he keeps firing on all cylinders. Expect to see his name on the Ballon d’or nominee list anytime soon. It won’t be any surprising if he ends up winning this as well.
MOISE KEAN
Date of birth/Age: Feb 28, 2000 (19)
Citizenship: Italy
Height: 1,83 m
Position: Centre-Forward
National player: Italy
In November 2016, 16-year-old Moise Kean became a record-breaker with his first step in Serie A. On his debut, replacing Mario Mandzukic late on in Juventus' home win against Pescara, the young striker became “the first player born in the 2000’s to make his debut in Europe’s top five leagues”. The achievement emphasised his tender age even compared to other young players, and meant all eyes were on Kean as soon as he entered senior football.
Inevitably, the narrative dictated that because of his incredibly young age, a first-team debut automatically means Kean must be the next big thing in Italian football.
Fast-forward to 2018/19 season , Moisiah (as he’s been nicknamed) began to make headlines in Europe as he banged in 6 goals in 13 appearances for the Old lady (most of which were cameos) and a further 2 goals in 2 apps for the Italian national team in the Euro qualifiers.
He sealed a €27.5 million move to premier league side Everyone in the summer and has continued to ply his trade in the Epl.
Unbowed by racism, Moisiah has continued to stamp his authority on European football and remains one to watch in times to come.
SAMUEL CHUKWUEZE
Date of birth/Age: May 22, 1999 (20)
Citizenship: Nigeria
Height: 1,72 m
Position: Right Winger
Current international: Nigeria
Nigeria is a nation that is renowned for producing great footballing talents. From the likes of Kanu Nwankwo, to Jay Jay Okocha, Mikel Obi, Joseph Yobo, Vincent Enyeama and Obafemi Martins to name a few the African nation is blessed with talent.
After the 2019 African cup of nations, Super Eagles greats Obi Mikel and Odion Ighalo announced their retirement from international football. A lot of Nigerians expressed their concerns on social media but the emergence of a youngster in Samuel Chukwueze has left everyone with huge interested in what the future holds.
The 20-year-old scored nine goals in all competitions in his breakthrough season for Villarreal.
Voted Villarreal’s Revelation of the Year following his breakout year last season with the Yellow Submarines, Chukwueze has duly earned his spot in this year’s Kopa trophy nominee list.
Chukwueze burst into the scene in his debut season after coming through the U19s in just a year.
The 20-year-old scored nine goals in all competitions in his breakthrough season for Villarreal and caught the eyes with a series of impressive performances.
Samuel Chukwueze received rave reviews last season with his dribbling abilities and pace with which he troubled the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid .
While rating Chukwueze’s performance last season , English journalist Sid Lowe was quoted as saying the Nigerian is going to be a great player.
He also impressed and scored one goal in his six appearances for the Super Eagles of Nigeria during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) where Nigeria won bronze.
Samuel Chukwueze started this season with a bang with a goal in Villarreal’s 4-4 home draw with Granada in the opening weekend of the 2019/2020 season and has since contributed 3 goals for Villarreal this season (2 goals, 1 assist).
In a generation where bemusing dribblers are getting scarce, Chukwueze has proven to be a talented footballer and is definitely a strong contender for the Kopa trophy (and the big one in the nearest future).
KANG-IN LEE
Date of birth/Age: Feb 19, 2001 (18)
Citizenship: Korea, South
Height: 1,73 m
Position: Attacking Midfield
Current international: South Korea
Not many 17 year-olds have a buyout clause of 80 million euros but then not many 17 year-olds started their career in a television reality show. When it comes to Lee Kang-in Valencia’s hopes are as high as the amount it will take to buy him.
At 17, Valencia’s prized asset was tagged €80million. 12 months later, the price has continued to rise.
Lee has come a long way since ‘Shoot Dori’: a popular Korean television show that started in the previous decade and followed the adventures of a team of “cute” kids coached by various celebrities that were equally “cute”.
Lee entered as a seven year-old in 2007 and was simply too good for everyone. Running rings round his team-mates in training and other kids’ teams in the mini-league they played in, he was quickly given nicknames such as ‘Little Park Ji-sung’ and “Football Prodigy’.
Such names didn’t fully show just how much better he was. The skills then –the creativity, the first touch and the willingness to take people on and run all day –have all improved.
Fast-forward to the 2019 U-20 world cup in Poland , Lee was terrific as he led South Korea to the final (in which they lost 3–1 to Ukraine), scoring 2 goals and providing 4 assists in 7 games (including a goal in the final) and picking up the golden ball award at the tournament.
On 17 September 2019, Lee made his UEFA Champions League debut as a late substitue for Rodrigo in a 1–0 win against Chelsea , becoming the youngest ever Korean to debut in the competition at the age of 18 years and 6 months, a record previously held by Jeong Woo-yeong. He also became the 5th youngest ever to debut for Los Ches in the same competition.
Since Park ji-sung retired , Koreans have been hoping for a replacement for the red devils legend. Although expecting him to fill Park’s boot might be unfair on an 18 year-old, Lee has so far shown that with the right coach and support, he is more than capable to match Park’s feats with the Asian giants.
