Barcelona young talent Pedri wins the Kopa award 2021!
Pedri was among ten players nominated for the award, alongside Mason Greenwood, Bukayo Saka, Jeremy Doku, Ryan Gravenberch, Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, Jude Bellingham, Giovabbi Reyna, and Nuno Mendes.
This is only the third edition of the award, first given in 2018 to Kylian Mbappe. Matthijs de Ligt beat Jadon Sancho and Joao Felix to the trophy in 2019, but it was cancelled for 2020 alongside the Ballon d’Or.
Barcelona youngster Pedri has enjoyed a remarkable 2021, with a teenager that already boasts the prestigious Golden Boy prize adding the Kopa Trophy to his ever-growing collection of awards.
At just 19 years of age, the promising playmaker has been recognised as the best player under the age of 21 on the planet.
He finds himself following in some illustrious footsteps, with the two previous winners of the Kopa crown being Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe and Juventus defender Matthijs de Light – with France Football handing out no gongs in a coronavirus-impacted 2020.
A hot prospect was playing second tier football at Las Palmas before Barcelona came calling in the summer of 2020.
A memorable debut campaign at Camp Nou delivered 52 appearances, four goals and Copa del Rey glory.
Pedri also broke in the senior Spain squad, allowing him to make history at Euro 2020, before then going on to grace a gold medal match with his country at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Those exploits helped him to the coveted Golden Boy award, while he also finished fourth on the GOAL NXGN list for 2021 and landed himself a new contract at Camp Nou with a €1 billion (£846m/$1.13bn) release clause.
Pedri saw off some fierce competition to claim top spot in the Kopa poll, with world football currently brimming with exciting young stars.
England internationals Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham, of Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund respectively, fall into that category, but they have been left making up the numbers.
The same can be said for USMNT midfielder Gio Reyna – who is a club colleague of Bellingham at Dortmund – and Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood.
Jamal Musiala is another teenager causing a stir in Germany at Bayern Munich, but must wait for his moment in the spotlight, while Florian Wirtz is attracting plenty of interest at Bayer Leverkusen.
The other hopefuls on a star-studded Kopa Trophy shortlist were Rennes starlet Jeremy Doku, Nuno Mendes of PSG and Ajax forward Ryan Gravenberch.
Pedri's special mention for La Palma in acceptance speech
"It was my 19th birthday recently and this is the best way to celebrate it. I'd like to thank Barça, the people who have helped and supported me, the club captains - including Messi. Thank you for how much you supported me. I would like to dedicate this award to my family. I would also like to give a special mention to La Palma, any support they can get will be much appreciated and well received. Thank You," Pedri said on accepting his award.
Pedri played a key role in helping Ronald Koeman's Barça to win the Copa del Rey last season and also shone for Spain at Euro 2020. He capped a busy summer by winning the silver medal with Spain at the Tokyo Olympics.
The teenager attended the media in the mixed zone after collecting his award. He said he was very happy with the prize and recognition from Messi, Mbappé and Lewandowski.
Humility: “To be honest I have always tried to lead my life normaly. My family have helped me a lot, my parents tell me to keep my feet on the ground and have given me a lot of good advice”.
What do you plan to do now? “I've had quite a hectic day with travelling. I haven't had much time to do things. I came here relaxed and excited to be surrounded by so many great players. I am very happy to have won the award after a season after a season of much effort and sacrifice”.
What did it mean having Lewandowski, Messi and Mbappé clapping as you went up to accept the award? “It means a lot. Coming to an awards ceremony, being surrounded by the best players and then they applaud you... that means everything to me. I remembered La Palma because I am poroud to be from the Canary Islands, they deserve as much help as they can get and that we can do that for them is the best thing we can do”.
Messi: “Messi helped me a lot during the year we spent together at the club. I really enjoyed his company and I am grateful for everything he did to help me on and off the pitch”.
Vertigo: “I don't have vertigo. I always only ever think about working harder and helping the team in whatever way I can”.
How did Messi's departure affect your career? “It's true that Leo is a player who makes a real difference, for me he is the best player in the world. As for me personally, I think I have to try to better myself every day and do the best I possibly can, helping the team in any way I can”.
Are you looking forward to playing under Xavi? “I can't wait to get back out onto the pitch with Xavi. He's a coach with very clear ideas about what he wants. For me, the key to settling into the side was the captains. I have watched Barça since I was a little kid, I have been a culé all of my life and that has helped me to understand what the club is all about”.