Ballon d'Or 2025: Myles Lewis-Skelly joins Lamine Yamal, Desire Doue on men's stacked Kopa Trophy shortlist with Michelle Agyemang also nominated
Updated 07/08/2025 at 15:17 GMT+1
Arsenal left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly is among the nominees for the prestigious men's Kopa Trophy, while Lionesses star Michelle Agyemang is in the running for the women's award. The Kopa Trophy is awarded to the best men's and women's player aged under 21. Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, who only turned 18 last month, returns to the shortlist after a stellar season, while Desire Doue also features.
Ballon d'Or Explainer: How the 2025 men's and women's winners will be determined
Video credit: TNT Sports
The nominees for the men's and women's Kopa Trophy have been announced, recognising the brightest young talents in world football.
It is an honour bestowed on the best men's and women's players under the age of 21, and there are some star-studded line-ups in both categories.
There is English representation on both the men's and women's sides in the form of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Michelle Agyemang.
Lewis-Skelly enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with Arsenal last season, making 39 appearances across all competitions and playing a telling role in the club's run to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Agyemang burst her way onto the global stage with a starring role for England at the Women's European Championship, scoring crucial goals against Sweden and Italy in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.
Lewis-Skelly will be competing with the likes of Lamine Yamal on the men's side, with the 18-year-old enjoying a fantastic campaign with Barcelona.
Yamal scored 18 goals and contributed 25 assists across 55 appearances across all competitions, as Barca won a domestic treble.
This included some stand-out moments in the Champions League, including a fine individual effort in the semi-final first leg against Internazionale.
There is also a Champions League winner on the list in Desire Doue, who scored a brace and claimed an assist in a 5-0 thrashing of Inter in the final.
His fellow PSG team-mate Joao Neves is also among the nominees, along with Dean Huijsen, whose Bournemouth exploits that led to a summer move to Real Madrid have earned the Spaniard a place on the shortlist.
Women's Kopa Trophy 2025 nominees
- Michelle Agyemang (Arsenal, England)
- Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid, Colombia)
- Wieke Kaptein (Chelsea, Netherlands)
- Claudia Martinez Ovando (Club Olimpia, Paraguay)
- Vicky Lopez (Barcelona, Spain)
Men's Kopa Trophy 2025 nominees
- Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona, Spain)
- Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille, France)
- Desire Doue (PSG, France)
- Estevao (Chelsea)
- Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid, Spain)
- Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal, England)
- Rodrigo Mora (Porto, Portugal)
- Joao Neves (PSG, Portugal)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain)
- Kenan Yildiz (Juventus, Turkey)
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