Kopa 2019 Trophy : Juventus Defender Beats Chukwueze To Award

Nigerian youngster Samuel Chukwueze has missed out on the Kopa 2019 Trophy, awarded to the best player under the age of 21 by France Football.

At the annual Ballon d'Or ceremony held at at the Theatre du Chatelet, Paris on Monday night, Juventus central defender Matthijs de Ligt won the coveted prize now in its second edition.

A Netherlands international, de Ligt takes over from PSG superstar Kylian Mbappé as the winner of Kopa Trophy.

Chukwueze was on a ten-man shortlist along with Matthijs de Ligt, Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen), Lee Kang-in (Valencia), Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), Mattéo Guendouzi (Arsenal), Moise Kean (Everton), and Andreï Lounine (Real Valladolid).

The Diamond Academy product broke into the Villarreal first team last season and helped them avoid relegation by scoring 5 goals in 26 appearances in La Liga.

Chukwueze represented Nigeria at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and became the youngest player to score in the competition after finding the net against South Africa.

The Kopa Trophy was named after Raymond Kopa, who was the first French footballer to win the Golden Ball.

Igho Kingsley