Alajbegovic finishes seventh in Kopa Trophy voting

Juventus forward Kerim Alajbegovic finished seventh in the 2026 Kopa Trophy rankings. The award goes to the best player in the world under the age of 21, and Lamine Yamal won it for the third year in a row. The ceremony took place in London on the night of the Ballon d'Or.

The Bosnian player was the only representative of Serie A on the list of 10 candidates. The 19-year-old forward earned his nomination after a successful season at RB Salzburg, where he was on loan from Bayer Leverkusen. His performances convinced Juventus to sign him in the summer for a transfer fee of around 35 million euros.

Alajbegovic also stood out with the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team at the World Cup. He scored in the 3-1 win over Qatar in Seattle.

Since arriving in Turin, he has played 10 matches in all competitions. He scored his first goal for Juventus in September, in the Europa League against NEC. During a period of injuries, he became a regular in Luciano Spalletti's squad.

Yamal had already won the Kopa Trophy in each of the two previous years, and by winning it a third time he showed he is the clear favorite. Matthijs de Ligt is on record as the only player to have won the award while playing for Juventus. He received it in 2019 for his performances at Ajax.