The Real Madrid and England star has been honoured as the best young player in the world at the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Jude Bellingham has won the 2023 Kopa Trophy, capping an incredible 12 months for the Real Madrid and England midfielder.
Awarded at the same time as the Ballon d'Or, the Kopa Trophy recognises the world's best player under the age of 21.
Bellingham, 20, becomes the first English recipient of the award, having previously finished as runner-up behind Pedri in 2021.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
One of the best players on the planet right now, regardless of age, Bellingham has continued to hit new heights in 2023.
This summer saw the former Birmingham City youngster leave Borussia Dortmund for Real Madrid in a €103m (£88.5m) move shortly before his 20th birthday.
In doing so, he became the sixth Englishman to join the La Liga giants – and the start he's made to life at the Bernabeu has been nothing short of breathtaking.
Why Jude Bellingham can win England the Euros
Bellingham has scored 13 goals in his first 13 Real appearances, passing the single-season best by club legend and 1998 Ballon d'Or Winner Zinedine Zidane.
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He bagged his third brace for Carlo Ancelotti's side last time out, turning the first El Clasico of the season on its head and securing a 2-1 victory for Real away to arch-rivals Barcelona – equalising with a superb long-range strike, the clinching the three points in the second minute of stoppage time.
Bellingham's Kopa Trophy triumph comes at the end of a 12 months which saw him make his World Cup debut – starting every game as England reached the quarter-finals in Qatar last November – and take his Three Lions caps tally to 27.
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Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
