Messi's Voting Ballot for the 2025 Ballon d'Or

Lionel Messi cast his votes for three players in the 2025 Kopa Trophy category for the best young player.

According to revelations from Tribuna, Lionel Messi gave his top vote in the 2025 Kopa Trophy to Lamine Yamal. The next two players on the Argentine superstar’s list were PSG’s young talent Desire Doue and Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi. In the final results, Doue finished second, Cubarsi ranked seventh, following Yamal, Doue, Joao Neves, Estevao, Kenan Yildiz, and Dean Huijsen.

Yamal’s victory was historic, as he became the first player ever to win the Kopa Trophy two consecutive years. The 18-year-old star received 24 out of 27 votes from former Ballon d'Or winners, including Messi.

The 2007-born rising star has become an indispensable key player for Barcelona. Across 55 appearances, this young talent contributed 21 goals and 26 assists, helping the Catalan club surpass their main rivals and complete a prestigious domestic treble.

Wearing the Spain national team jersey, Yamal continued to assert his influence by securing a crucial role in coach Luis de la Fuente’s tactical setup, contributing to La Roja’s advance to the 2025 UEFA Nations League final.

In the Ballon d'Or race, Yamal finished second with 321 votes less than PSG star Ousmane Dembele. Dembele ended the season with 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 matches, playing a major role in PSG’s historic continental quadruple and reaching the FIFA Club World Cup final.

According to Barca Universal, the three who did not place Yamal first were Roberto Baggio (1993), Ruud Gullit (1987), and Pavel Nedved (2003). Among them, Baggio ranked him third, Nedved placed him second, and Gullit did not include the Spanish player in his top three.

Notably, Cristiano Ronaldo (five-time Ballon d'Or winner), Kevin Keegan (1978-79), and Michel Platini (1983-85) also did not participate in voting for this year’s Kopa Trophy.

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