Messi and Ronaldo's Secret Kopa Trophy Picks Exposed: See Which Young Stars Football Legends Backed in 2025

The 2025 Ballon d'Or gala featured more accolades than any previous edition, though the evening's conversations centered around the victories of Ousmane Dembélé and Aitana Bonmatí for the most prestigious honors.

While Bonmati secured her third Ballon d'Or Féminin despite arguments that others, including Arsenal's Mariona Caldentey, may have delivered superior performances in 2025–26, Dembélé celebrated his maiden victory, having never before received a nomination for the distinction.

The French star was instrumental in Paris Saint-Germain's quadruple-winning season, and secured victory with the largest voting margin since Karim Benzema in 2022.

Nevertheless, numerous others received recognition during France Football's most comprehensive ceremony yet, including football's emerging talents. Barcelona's Vicky López claimed the inaugural women's Kopa Trophy, while the men's category winner was never in question.

Ballon d'Or second-place finisher Lamine Yamal made history by becoming the first recipient to claim the Kopa Trophy on two occasions, following the award's introduction in 2018. Unlike the premier accolade, the Kopa Trophy recipient is selected not by journalists, but by previous Ballon d'Or champions, including Lionel Messi.

For the 2025 recognition, 27 out of 31 former champions participated in the voting process, and here's a comprehensive breakdown of their selections.

Complete Analysis of 2025 Kopa Trophy Voting by Former Ballon d'Or Champions

Yamal might not have produced the statistical dominance of Dembélé, Raphinha and Mohamed Salah, but the youngster's exceptional performances for an outstanding Barcelona squad brought him close to becoming the first teenager ever to claim the Ballon d'Or.

And despite significant contributions from players like Désiré Doue and João Neves to PSG's supremacy last season, there was never any doubt about the 2025 Kopa Trophy winner—given to the campaign's top U21 talent.

Yamal garnered first-place selections from 24 of the 27 participating former Ballon d'Or champions in an overwhelming victory. Robert Baggio, Ruud Gullit and Pavel Nedvěd stood as the sole exceptions, each choosing Doué instead. Gullit notably excluded Yamal from his top three entirely and stated his preference for a different winner following the Spaniard's success the previous year.

Numerous Barcelona legends supported Yamal, including Messi, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Hristo Stoichkov and Ronaldinho, but past connections proved irrelevant for most voters, who felt compelled to name the star winger as their primary choice.

Real Madrid icons Zinedine Zidane, Karim Benzema and Luka Modrić also selected Yamal.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Michel Platini and Kevin Keegan chose not to participate in the voting.

2025 Kopa Trophy Voting Results Breakdown