the choice of the legends: a deep dive into the 2025 Copa Trophy voting

the Ballon d’Or ceremony has another highlight: the Copa Trophy, awarded to the best player under the age of 21. What makes this award so special is that past Ballon d’Or winners get to vote for the superstars of tomorrow. In 2025, 27 of the 31 winners cast their votes, so who do the legends think is the best prospect? here’s a look at the results of the 2025 Copa Trophy voting.

ramin Yamal wins back-to-back titles with overwhelming support

the winner of the 2025 Copa Trophy was undoubtedly Barcelona phenom Lamine Yamal, who won the award once again, becoming the first player in Copa Trophy history to win it back-to-back. A look at the voting reveals just how overwhelming his victory was. a whopping 24 of the 27 legends who voted gave him their first place vote. the remaining second and third place votes were split between Desiree Duet and João Neves, among others.

the legends’ choice: messi, Zidane for Yamal, Ronaldo abstains

the votes for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two of the biggest names on soccer fans’ minds, were also revealed. as expected, Lionel Messi cast his top vote for Barcelona junior Lamine Yamal, and most of the Barcelona legends did the same.

cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, has reportedly either not participated or abstained from the vote, along with Michel Platini and Kevin Keegan.

interestingly, even club rivalries were irrelevant in front of the legends’ choices. real Madrid legends Zinedine Zidane, Karim Benzema, and Luka Modric also voted for Ramin Djamal, recognizing his talent, while Dutch legend Ruud Gullit cast his first-place vote for Desiree Doue, demonstrating that some legends didn’t care about club or nationality, but only about the season’s performance and potential.