Who played in the 2021–2022 season and was the best young player in the world of football? Know the Kopa Trophy nominees rankings for 2022
That is what the so-called “Kopa Trophy,” which is given to the best football player under the age of 21 and is awarded at the annual Ballon d’Or ceremony, attempts to validate.
Based on how well they did during the last campaign, we’ve decided to rank them from 10 to 1 and then choose the winner.
Kopa Trophy 2022 Rankings Top 10, Nominees List, Favorite Prediction
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Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)
Get this man in the Premier League already.
Bellingham’s accomplishments are so astounding that it baffles the mind that he left his native country at such a young age, played for only Birmingham City, and went on to dominate the midfield of one of Europe’s most prestigious clubs.
He played for Dortmund 45 times, which only serves to highlight how valuable a player he is to the team. A very deserving winner, in our opinion.
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Gavi (Barcelona) (Barcelona)
Gavi’s legal drinking age was just about reached a week ago, making the fact that he spent the entire 2021–2022 season controlling Barcelona’s midfield is even funnier.
His younger teammate stepped up to fill in for Pedri’s absence and has since established himself as a star in his own right. He is climbing the ladder quickly.
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Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid)
Do you feel he belongs higher? The fact that the Frenchman was instrumental in Real Madrid’s victories ie La Liga and the Champions League would seem to support this.
The sheer calibre of Los Blancos’ midfield, however, meant that Camavinga was frequently restricted to substitute roles; as a result, despite playing frequently, his total minutes were far lower than those of some of these other luminaries.
Nevertheless, his accomplishments cannot be disregarded, and at times he was very outstanding.
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Theodore Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Prior to sustaining an ACL injury in March, Wirtz was illuminating the Bundesliga. We can only hope that it doesn’t significantly hinder his career because there are no limits for the German.
He only participated in 24 league games, but he still contributed with seven goals and an astounding 10 assists. Creative genius at its best.
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Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
The young prodigy Saka of Arsenal is one player you’re undoubtedly quite familiar with.
The Englishman, who was outstanding for England at Euro 2020 last summer, continued his strong play this season, helping the Arsenal team win the Premier League with 11 goals and seven assists.
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Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
With each passing month, the 19-year-importance old’s of the Bavarian club’s first-team aspirations grow, and he ended up making 40 appearances in 2021–2022.
Although Musiala’s stats of five goals and equal amounts of assists aren’t as impressive as those of some other players on our list, it’s clear from seeing him play that he has unique potential.
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Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain)
The Portuguese sensation played 39 times for one of the top teams in the world last season while on loan in Paris after making such an impression.
Unsurprisingly, the Parisians chose to sign him permanently after using him so extensively, and they paid Sporting something in the neighbourhood of £35 million.
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Karim Adeyemi (Red Bull Salzburg – now Dortmund)
For Salzburg in 2021–2022, Adeyemi scored 19 league goals and three more in the Champions League.
He was subsequently recruited by Borussia Dortmund, where they are hopeful he can match the success of the previous young striker they acquired from the Austrian club.
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Ryan Gravenberch (Ajax – now Bayern)
Gravenberch has established himself as an elite performer at Ajax over the previous two seasons, appearing in over 30 Eredivisie matches in each. The fact that Bayern snatched him up for just €18 million is fairly amazing.
The Dutchman has almost everything in his locker. He has a commanding presence, makes superb passes, and, just for good measure, can also hit the ball long.
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Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig)
The Croatian centre-back was a pillar of Leipzig’s defence last season and helped the team score two goals. Being only 20 is quite outstanding, and his performances have shown that he possesses the skills necessary to quickly ascend the ranks.
The fact that Chelsea has been heavily connected to the star this summer is not a coincidence.