How Messi, Kakà, Ronaldo and other Ballon d’Or winning legends voted in the Kopa Trophy

Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal won the 2024 Kopa Trophy during October’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, beating Arda Guler, Kobbie Mainoo and Savinho to be crowned the best male under-21 player.

An impressive 2023/24 La Liga campaign saw the 17-year-old become an indispensable member of the Catalan giants’ squad, leaving many to compare the teenage wonderkid to Lionel Messi.

Success on the international stage saw Yamal was crowned champion of Europe with Spain in July, while the loose winger also became the youngest player to score at the tournament at just 16 years and 362 days.

Yamal Kopa Trophy victory So it was highly anticipated, even though the list of players he was competing against was loaded with talent.

Now, with the event firmly in the rear-view mirror, it has been revealed how 23 former Ballon d’Or winners – including Messi, Kaka, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Ruud Gullit – voted to be given the responsibility to help crown Jude Bellingham’s successor. .

Yamal got the first votes from 22 of the 23 players, with only Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo playing with both. Barcelona and Real Madrid in his career, moving away from the young Spaniard in favor of the first place vote for his compatriot Savinho.

The former Girona star scored 11 goals in 41 games during the 2023/24 season before making a big move in the summer to become Premier League champions. Manchester City.

Various players linked to Real Madridincluding Kakà, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema, voted Arda Guler second, although the Turkish superstar has yet to establish himself as a regular in Carlo Ancelotti’s first team.

Pau Cubarsi received the support of Messi and Barcelona alumni Hristo Stoichkov Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo finished second or third in 11 of the 23 player votes.

Alejandro Garnacho, Warren Zaire-Emery and Joao Neves also got the top three votes, along with Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel and emerging Salzburg striker Karim Konate.

READ MORE ABOUT THE 2024 BALLON D’OR NOMINEES AND FAVORITES