Ballon d’Or 2023: Jude Bellingham has won the Kopa Trophy, becoming the first player from England to do so.

Bellingham, who placed second in 2021, is the prize recipient.
The England international defeats Jamal Musiala, Gavi, and Pedri in the competition.
Jude B. Became the prize’s first-ever English recipient.

Jude Bellingham, an England midfielder, is the 2023 Kopa Trophy winner. The award is presented to the finest young player under the age of 21. With 13 goals in 13 appearances, the 20-year-old has had an incredible start to life at Real Madrid. Bellingham won the Kopa Trophy, becoming the first player from England to do so.
After an incredible debut season at Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham, an England midfielder and Real Madrid player, has won the 2023 Kopa Trophy, which is awarded to the greatest young player under the age of 21.
Bellingham has a goal-a-game record through 13 games after scoring twice in Saturday’s 2-1 El Clasico victory against Barcelona, which included an amazing equalizer and a stoppage-time winner.

The 20-year-old became the first English player to win the Kopa Trophy since its creation in 2018 after finishing 18th in the Ballon d’Or competition.
However, Bellingham’s performance last season—when Borussia Dortmund finished second in the Bundesliga and Bellingham played a standout role for England in the World Cup in Qatar—earned him the Kopa Trophy.
After the Spanish powerhouses paid an initial £88.5 million and a possible £115 million transfer fee, Bellingham went from Dortmund to Real in June. This was a record deal for a British player.
After moving to Real, the former Birmingham midfielder has kept up his impressive play for the Three Lions, winning player of the match in England’s recent victories over Scotland and Italy.

At the Ballon d’Or celebration in Paris, Bellingham remarked, “I just want to thank everyone who has helped me get to this point—from Birmingham to Dortmund and now Real Madrid and the national team.”
“Thanks for the support; it means a lot—and more to come.”
Bellingham has won the Kopa Trophy five times thanks to his success at both the international and club levels. The previous winners of the trophy were Kylian Mbappe (2018), Matthijs de Ligt (2019), Pedri (2021), and Gavi (2022).
Rasmus Hojlund of Manchester United and forward Bellingham defeated Jamal Musiala, a former England youth teammate who plays for Bayern Munich, to win the award.