Messi, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, is one of the judges for the Kopa award, and his ballots for that trophy have just been made public.
The Kopa Award voting for Lionel Messi has been made public.
Jude Bellingham was one of the players selected by Lionel Messi as the best young players in the world for the 2022 Kopa trophy.
Messi, who has won the Ballon d’Or seven times, is one of the judges who casts a ballot for the prize. The Kopa winner is announced during the Ballon d’Or awards ceremony and is recognized as the finest young football player in the world.
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The voting results of 19 current Ballon d’Or winners have finally been made public by the Spanish publication Sport. It has been established that Messi placed Bellingham in third place among the finalists for the award.
Bellingham, who first made his name at Birmingham City, has excelled for Borussia Dortmund over the past three seasons. In addition to helping Dortmund win the DFB-Pokal in 2021, he has so far this season tallied six goals and two assists.
It is widely anticipated that the England international will dominate the summer transfer market. Although he previously stated he was keeping his attention on Dortmund, Messi’s backing has undoubtedly boosted his ego ahead of that anticipated move.
“I believe that everything has come as a bit of a surprise. I didn’t anticipate having exactly the influence that I have. I had anticipated a lengthier wait time. The coaches gave me the opportunity to learn by throwing me in at the deep end, he said, according to BBC Sport.
Jude Bellingham was ranked third by Messi in his rankings. He said, “I had qualities I didn’t know I had. Numerous facets of my game, including my offense, defense, and leadership off the field, seem like they have all improved. Since I originally joined, the club has done a lot for me and made me feel incredibly welcome.
“and provided me with chances to grow even more. It would be disrespectful to consider the future while ignoring that. To be honest, I don’t give it much thought.”
Rivaldo, Jean-Pierre Papin, and Luis Suarez all gave Bellingham third place votes, while Kaka and Lothar Matthaus gave him second. Zinedine Zidane, Matthias Sammer, and Michael Owen all gave the midfielder their top vote.
Nuno Mendes, a teammate of Messi’s from Paris Saint-Germain, was moved into second place. The Barcelona star Gavi, who ultimately won the Kopa prize, was the initial choice of the Argentina captain.
Later in the week, the Spanish international won Tuttosport’s Golden Boy award and vowed to keep pushing himself. After winning the Kopa, he said, “I try and give the best of myself the whole time and try to apply myself in the greatest way.
In PSG’s victory over AC Ajaccio on Friday night, Messi scored one goal and assisted on two further scores. He has scored four goals in his last six games in all competitions for the Ligue 1 giants, hitting form just in time for the World Cup.