Jude Bellingham is a name that is hailed like a god all across Santiago Benrabeu. The 20-year-old joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2023 for a price of €103 million. The English international has since given Los Blancos their money’s worth. His performance has been godlike, and he has become a hero for all the Madridstas.
Though Jude Bellingham is scoring goals after goals for his club, it seems like his performance is not enough to impress former FC Barcelona legend Lionel Messi. The Argentine thinks there are other youngsters better than him who deserve the Kopa Trophy more than Bellingham.
Kopa trophy ranking points reveal one-sided Jude Bellingham race
The Kopa Trophy is an award that is given during a joint ceremony with the Ballon d’Or to the best-performing player in the world under the age of 21. The award is named after former Real Madrid player and 1958 Ballon d’Or winner Raymond Kopa. A lot of youngsters have performed exceptionally this season; one such player is none other than Jude Bellingham. The English midfielder has scored in almost all of Real Madrid’s games this season since his arrival at Santiago Bernabeu. In the 13 games he has played for Madrid, he has scored 13 goals and also had 3 assists.
These numbers were enough for the player to beat Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala. Though the German midfielder was only one position behind Jude, there was a huge point difference. Jude Bellingham won the Kopa Trophy with 90 points, while Musiala was in second place, having fewer than half of Bellingham’s total. The German international was awarded 42 points, which were not enough to beat the Real Madrid star.
Messi voted for Musiala over Bellingham
Jude Bellingham’s victory was a big one, and almost all the players, critics, and fans agree with the results. Everyone is siding with Jude except Lionel Messi, who has a different opinion. Former Ballon d’Or winners have a chance to vote for the Kopa Trophy, and the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner opted for Jamal Musiala ahead of Jude Bellingham. Surprisingly enough, Bellingham was not even able to beat Pedri for Leo’s second choice.
Not only Lionel Messi, but 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema also put Jude in third place, behind former teammate Eduardo Camavinga and Pedri. Though the 20-year-old failed to impress Messi and Benzema, he was the top choice for other legendary players like Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, Luka Modric, Luis Figo, and Ronaldo Nazario.
It seems like Jude Bellingham is still unable to impress the G.O.A.T. and needs to work harder if he wants to be recognized by the best in the world. Do you think Jamal Musiala deserved the Kopa Trophy over Jude Bellingham? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
