After Kylian Mbappe won the inaugural edition of the Kopa Trophy, a new set of young stars look set to battle for this year's accolade. On Monday, France Football revealed the names of 10 youngsters who broke on to the scene in the calendar year with eye-catching performances for their respective clubs and national teams.
The trophy, which is named after France and Real Madrid legend Raymond Kopa - the Ballon d'Or winner in 1958 - is dedicated to players under 21-years-old. Just like the Ballon d'Or, the identity of the eventual winner will be revealed on December 3 in Paris.
Below are the 10 nominees contesting for the 2019 Kopa Trophy:
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Joao Felix (Benfica/Atlético | Portugal)
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Jadon Sancho (Dortmund | England)
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Moise Kean (Juventus/Everton | Italy)
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Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal | Nigeria)
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Kang-in Lee (Valencia | South Korea)
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Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax/Juventus | Netherlands)
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Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid | Brazil)
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Kai Havertz (Leverkusen | Germany)
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Matteo Guendouzi (Arsenal | France)
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Andrei Lounine (Valladolid | Spain).
Among the 10 Kopa Trophy nominees
— #BallondOr (@francefootball) October 21, 2019
João Félix @Atleti
Jadon Sancho @BVB
Moise Kean @Everton
Samuel Chukwueze@VillarrealCF
Kang-in Lee @valenciacf#kopatrophy #ballondor pic.twitter.com/B6xlbXkE70
Among the 10 Kopa Trophy nominees
— #BallondOr (@francefootball) October 21, 2019
Matthijs de Ligt @juventusfc
Vinicius Jr @realmadrid
Kai Havertz @bayer04fussball
Mattéo Guendouzi @Arsenal
Andreï Lounine @realvalladolid#kopatrophy #ballondor pic.twitter.com/OOgQt1KJ0u