Barcelona’s rising star Lamine Yamal has been honored with the Raymond Copa Cup, an award presented to the world’s best under-21 footballer. The selection process for this accolade is distinctive: rather than being determined by journalists, it is voted on exclusively by former Ballon d’Or winners.
Among the 27 former award recipients who participated in the voting, Lionel Messi of Inter Miami reportedly placed the Spanish forward at the top of his ballot. Other prominent figures such as Luka Modrić, Zinedine Zidane, Karim Benzema, and Kaká also ranked Yamal first.
Notably, Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently plays for Al-Nassr, did not cast a vote. While the majority of voters favored Yamal, a few—including Roberto Baggio, Ruud Gullit, and Pavel Nedvěd—opted for other candidates.
