Lamine Yamal leads 2026 Kopa Trophy shortlist as Yan Diomandé, Warren Zaïre-Emery and Eli Junior Kroupi nominated | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, double holder Lamine Yamal headlines the 2026 Kopa Trophy race, chasing a third straight award. The Spain World Cup winner is joined by Yan Diomandé, with Eli Junior Kroupi and Warren Zaïre-Emery also among the 10 nominees.

Yamal, the first to win two Kopa Trophies, has just turned 19 and could land a third. One rival is Barça and Spain team-mate Pau Cubarsi, also on the main Ballon d'Or list after La Roja's triumph in the United States and named best young player of the tournament.

Eight of the 10 nominees played at the World Cup, a springboard to major moves. Bundesliga sensation Diomandé became the most expensive African ever, joining Real Madrid for €125m after standout campaigns with RB Leipzig and Côte d'Ivoire.

Johan Manzambi, a Switzerland standout and Europa League finalist with Freiburg, signed for Aston Villa for €60m. Ayyoub Bouaddi left Lille for Manchester City for nearly €100m, and Kerim Alajbegovic joined Juventus for €32m after a strong year with Salzburg and Bosnia and Herzegovina, having been behind Algerian Ibrahim Maza, another dribbler on the list, at Bayer Leverkusen.

Big-money U21s who missed the cut: Mbaye to Aston Villa €55m, Luka Vuskovic to Brighton €54m, Bazoumana Touré to Newcastle €50m, Karetsas to Borussia Dortmund €30m, Rayan to Bournemouth €28.5m, Virgili to Club Bruges €12m.

The nominees' combined market value is €835m, close to €1bn. Zaïre-Emery earns inclusion after a renewed spark at Paris-SG, Kroupi set a record with 13 Premier League goals as the most prolific teenager on debut, and 18-year-old Lennart Karl impressed at Bayern Munich.

Source: L'Équipe

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