Kopa Trophee 2019: Sancho, Kean & Guendouzi the sole representatives from England & PL
By ROUNAK PATRA
The 10-man shortlist for the 2019 Kopa Trophee was recently revealed, which includes only two of EPL’s exciting talents in Moise Kean and Guendouzi from Everton and Arsenal, respectively.
France football announced the shortlist for the Kopa Trophee, which includes ex-Manchester City wonderkid Jadon Sancho, Matthijs de Ligt, and former Benfica ace Joao Felix.
The award is named after former French footballer Raymond Kopa and represents the best under-21 player in world football. Last year, the trophy was won by none other than french superstar Mbappe, who is nominated for the Ballon d’Or, with current Chelsea ace Pulisic in second and Roman wonderkid Justin Kluivert taking the third place on the podium.
The full nomination list is given below:
Joao Felix | Atletico Madrid | Portugal
Jadon Sancho | Dortmund | England
Moise Kean | Everton | Italy
Samuel Chukwueze | Villarreal | Nigeria
Kang-in Lee | Valencia | South Korea
Matthijs de Ligt | Juventus | The Netherlands
Vinicius Junior | Real Madrid | Brazil
Kai Havertz | Bayern Leverkusen | Germany
Matteo Guendouzi | Arsenal | France
Andriy Lunin | Real Valladolid | Ukraine
Only two wonder kids in Moise Kean and Matteo Guendouzi included from the Premier League raised some eyebrows. There is no shortage of young protegees in the Premier League, but they are either short of playing time (Phil Foden) or a lengthy presence in the first team (Callum Hudson Odoi, Mason Mount, etc.). Jadon Sancho, Joao Felix and de Ligt are the overwhelming favourites to land the prize this term due to their exploits at the club level.