Paris Saint-Germain will be well-represented in this year’s race for the Kopa Trophy, with João Neves and Warren Zaïre-Emery among the nominees for the prestigious award.
However, an FC Barcelona standout sounds confident that he will win the award this year over the rest of the competition. Lamine Yamal is the clear favorite for the award, especially after winning UEFA Euro 2024 and performing well. Yamal spoke to France Football and confidently joked about winning the honor.
“I hope to win this Kopa Trophy, give it to me! (Laughs),” Yamal told the French media outlet (h/t Le10Sport). “As I said, I always want more. I would like to win the Champions League, the Ballon d’Or. If I can win it, great, but I’m not really thinking about it.”
Neves impressed last season with SL Benfica, emerging as one of the top young midfielders in European football. The teenager made 55 appearances for the Portuguese side, scoring three goals and providing two assists.
Meanwhile, Zaïre-Emery had a notable season with Paris Saint-Germain, making 43 appearances, scoring three goals, and notching up seven assists. At just 18 years old, he also earned a spot on the French national team for UEFA Euro 2024, although he didn’t see any action in the tournament.
Here’s the entire list of nominees for the Kopa Trophy:
Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona)
Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United)
Arda Guler (Real Madrid)
Karim Konate (Red Bull Salzburg)
Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United)
Joao Neves (PSG)
Savinho (Manchester City)
Mathys Tel (Bayern Munich)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Warren Zaire-Emery (PSG)