OFFICIAL: Barcelona Golden Boy Gavi wins Kopa Trophy

Gavi was handed the 2022 Kopa Trophy award during the Ballon d'Or Gala which was held in Paris on Monday. The Barcelona prodigy was voted ahead of other talented players, such as Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavigna, for the finest U21 player's prize.

The Spain international has stolen the limelight since he debuted with Barcelona last season. He is picking up the baton from teammate Pedri, who won the same accolade last season and became the first Spaniard to do so.

The 18-year-old midfielder has become a key player for both Xavi Hernandez and Luis Enrique in the Spanish national team. He has already played 60 games for Barcelona and another 12 for La Roja, where he has made history.

A month ago, the Catalan club renewed his contract until June 2026, and included a one-billion-euro buyout clause in the deal.

This trophy is named after the first ever Ballon d'Or winner, French footballer Raymond Kopa.

Stars

The Kopa Trophy was created in 2018 and it was not awarded to any player in 2020 as the ceremony was cancelled due to Covid-19. Kylian Mbappe won it in its first edition followed by Matthijs de Ligt, and Pedri, who also received the Golden Boy prize last season.

◎ 2021: Pedri

◉ 2022: Gavi

Barcelona are the first team to win back-to-back Kopa Trophy awards.

The final Kopa Trophy ranking

The Barcelona midfielder was followed by Camavinga (Real Madrid), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig), Ryan Gravenberch (Bayern), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Karim Adeyemi (Borussia Dortmund) and Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen).

It has to be noted that the winner of the Kopa Trophy is voted on by previous Ballon d'Or winners such as Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane, Mario Van Basten, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric.

The 2022 Kopa Trophy complete ranking!