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Will Freeman

Ronaldinho among previous Ballon D'or winners who backed Bukayo Saka in the Kopa Trophy vote

Arsenal academy product Bukayo Saka has caught the eye of some big names in the world of football, with voting for the Kopa trophy having been revealed.

Barcelona's Gavi was somewhat of a surprise winner of the trophy which is awarded yearly as part of the Ballon d'Or ceremony which took place this week. It is voted for by former Ballon d'Or winners alone, with each nominating three players for the award which is open to players under the age of 21.

Chelsea transfer target Jude Bellingham was also considered a frontrunner for the award, but it was former Blues academy product Jamal Musiala who finished third behind Eduardo Camavinga in 2nd. However, despite disappointment for Saka, who finished eighth, he will be buoyed by having received the backing of some huge names within the world of football.

Read more: The three Arsenal players Edu must agree new contracts for after Gabriel Magalhaes extension

Spanish publication Sport has revealed the voting, with Brazil and Barcelona legend Ronaldinho naming Saka third on his list behind Camavinga and Gavi. Saka was also named third by Dutch legends Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten, with prominent footballing luminaries backing the 21-year-old.

Lionel Messi voted for Gavi, with a number of former Barcelona players backing the Spain international, including Hristo Stoichkov and Rivaldo. However, eighth is a creditable showing for Saka for whom this is the last year he is eligible for the award as he has just turned 21.

Bellingham, meanwhile, will be inspired by the fact that he was backed for the award by Zinedine Zidane, whom he watched this year's Champions League final alongside at the Stade de France. He was also named as third by Messi, with recognition coming from a current star of world football a huge boost for the Birmingham City academy product.

Full voting here:

Luis Suarez (1960 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Gavi
  2. Nuno Mendes
  3. Camavinga

Gianni Rivera (1969 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Musiala
  2. Camavinga
  3. Gavi

Franz Beckenbauer (1972 and 1976 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Musiala
  2. Bellingham
  3. Adeyemi

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1980 and 1981 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Musiala
  2. Bellingham
  3. Nuno Mendes

Igor Belanov (1986 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Gavi
  2. Musiala
  3. Bellingham

Ruud Gullit (1987 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Musiala
  2. Gavi
  3. Saka

Marco van Basten (1988, 1989 and 1992 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Gavi
  2. Musiala
  3. Saka

Lothar Matthaus (1990 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Musiala
  2. Bellingham
  3. Camavinga

Jean-Pierre Papin (1991 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Camavinga
  2. Gavi
  3. Bellingham

Roberto Baggio (1993 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Camavinga
  2. Gavi
  3. Musiala

Hristo Stoitchkov (1994 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Gavi
  2. Musiala
  3. Camavinga

Matthias Sammer (1996 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Bellingham
  2. Musiala
  3. Gavi

Zinedine Zidane (1998 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Bellingham
  2. Camavinga
  3. Nuno Mendes

Rivaldo (1999 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Gavi
  2. Camavinga
  3. Bellingham

Luis Figo (2000 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Gavi
  2. Camavinga
  3. Nuno Mendes

Michael Owen (2001 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Bellingham
  2. Gavi
  3. Musiala

Pavel Nedved (2003 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Gavi
  2. Camavinga
  3. Musiala

Andrei Shevchenko (2004 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Musiala
  2. Camavinga
  3. Gavi

Ronaldinho (2005 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Camavinga
  2. Gravenberch
  3. Saka

Fabio Cannavaro (2006 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Camavinga
  2. Gavi
  3. Musiala

Kaka (2007 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Camavinga
  2. Bellingham
  3. Gavi

Luka Modric (2018 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Camavinga
  2. Gvardiol
  3. Musiala

Lionel Messi (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021 Ballon d'Or winner)

  1. Gavi
  2. Nuno Mendes
  3. Bellingham

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