Paris (AFP)
Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt, 20, on Monday received the Kopa Trophy, which recognizes the best player of the year under the age of 21, for the second edition of this prize won in 2018 by Kylian Mbappé.
The Juventus player sees his formidable end of last season in the ranks of Ajax of Amsterdam hailed with this individual award, obtained at the expense of the Portuguese Joao Felix, winner of the League of Nations with the Selecçao.
As captain of Ajax, Ligt reached the semi-finals of the Champions League after a fine epic concluded by an elimination scenario unlikely against Tottenham.
He then joined Juve in the transfer window, for 85.5 million euros bonus included (the third most expensive transfer paid by the Turin club). At the Old Lady, with the injury of the maul Giorgio Chiellini, he quickly established himself as a holder, although his unequal performance has earned him some criticism since the beginning of the season.
In selection, where he has 21 appearances since 2017, Ligt is one of the symbols of the renewal of the Netherlands, qualified for the Euro-2020 after missing the last two major international competitions.
In 2018, for the launch of this prize awarded in parallel to the Ballon d'Or and organized by France Football magazine, the Paris SG striker Kylian Mbappé had been a laureate, even finishing 4th in the Ballon d'Or ranking.
The Kopa Trophy is elected by a jury made up of the winners of the Ballon d'Or, each nominating three players in order of merit from a list of ten young players established by the organizer. The criteria are the individual and collective performance, the class, and the faculty to register over time.
© 2019 AFP