Lionel Messi voted for Lamine Yamal as the best talent in the Kopa Trophy this year at the Ballon d’Or gala. The Argentine picked Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí as the second-best youngster and Bayer Leverkusen star Ibrahim Maza as his third pick.
Messi was among those who voted in the Kopa Trophy award this year as a former Ballon d’Or winner. He had 10 nominees to pick from, and the 39-year-old named Yamal as the best U21 star.
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Apart from Cubarsí and Maza, whom he picked as second and third in his voting, the Argentine had the options of PSG’s Warren Zaire-Emery, Bayern Munich’s Lennart Karl, Real Madrid’s Yan Diomande, Manchester City’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, Juventus’ Kerim Alajbegovic, AFC Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi, and Aston Villa’s Johan Manzambi.
Yamal, who won the Kopa Trophy, said his teammate Cubarsí deserved the award more than he did this season. He spoke at the Ballon d’Or gala and said:
“I would have liked to see my teammate [Pau] Cubarsí here because I think this prize should have been for him. He has been playing at an excellent level for some time. This is my third year up here for this prize. I would like to thank my club and my national team. Speaking about this one specifically, this one should have been for Cubarsí.”
Reports suggest that Lionel Messi’s vote played a key role in helping Yamal beat Cubarsí as the young winger collected two more points than his Barcelona teammate in the voting.
Lionel Messi finished behind Lamine Yamal in the Ballon d’Or race
Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal were in the top 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or this year, but they both missed out on the award. The Argentine finished fifth in the ranking, Rodri came in fourth, while the Barcelona winger came in third.
Kylian Mbappé was the runner-up this year, as Harry Kane took home the Ballon d’Or. The Englishman edged out the Frenchman by just 28 points in the voting, after collecting 1055 points to his rival’s 1027.
Meanwhile, journalist David Sanchez was heavily critical of Yamal and Mbappé for their reaction to Kane winning the award. He said:
“I am glad that Harry Kane wins the Ballon d’Or. And I am glad because I believe he deserves it and because he had a spectacular season. In addition, I am glad because he has not dragged himself around begging for an award he already deserved on his own.”
A body language expert has also revealed that the two were dejected and surprised at the decision.
Edited by Sripad
