Kylian Mbappe wins Kopa award at Ballon d’Or ceremony
Written by News on 03/12/2018
Kylian Mbappe has been crowned the best U21 player of 2018 after becoming the first winner of the Kopa trophy.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward, 19, beat Liverpool and England right-back Trent Alexander Arnold to the award after helping France win the World Cup in Russia, scoring in the 4-2 final win over Croatia.
Mbappe also played a pivotal role in PSG’s domestic treble last season under former coach Unai Emery following his move from Monaco, which eventually cost the Ligue 1 side £166m.
He has continued his impressive form this term as well, registering 14 goals and seven assists in his first 15 games across all competitions.
The 10-man shortlist for the award included Justin Kluivert, Christian Pulisic and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Meanwhile, Lyon’s Ada Hegerberg, 23, became the first winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or.
The Norwegian striker helped Lyon claim the French league title and Champions League trophy.
England duo Lucy Bronze and Frank Kirby were also ranked among the top 20 in the world, finishing sixth and 14th respectively.
However, there was controversy at the awards ceremony in Paris after Hegerberg was asked if she knew how to twerk on stage by host Martin Solveig, a French DJ, when collecting her award.
(c) Sky News 2018: Kylian Mbappe wins Kopa award at Ballon d’Or ceremony
