Lionel Messi's votes for the 2022 Kopa trophy have been revealed, with Jude Bellingham one of the players he picked as being the best youngsters in the world.
As a seven-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, Messi is one of the judges who submit votes for the award. The winner of the Kopa is named at the Ballon d'Or awards night and is crowned as the world's best young footballer.
The way 19 of the living Ballon d'Or winners voted has now been revealed by Spanish newspaper Sport. As part of that, it has been shown that Messi selected Bellingham in third place in his rankings for the award.
Bellingham has starred for Borussia Dortmund over the past three seasons, having first burst onto the scene at Birmingham City. He has scored six goals and notched two assists so far this season, having also helped Dortmund to win the DFB-Pokal in 2021.
The England international is widely expected to be the story of next summer's transfer window. Ahead of that expected departure, his ego has surely been boosted by Messi's endorsement, though he recently insisted he was keeping his focus on Dortmund.
"I think all of it has been a bit of a surprise. I didn't think I'd have the impact quite like I have. I thought I'd have to wait longer. The coaches have thrown me in at the deep end and given me the chance to learn," he told BBC Sport.
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"I had qualities I didn't know I had, it's all down to them. I feel like a lot of aspects of my game have improved - defensively, offensively, as a leader off the pitch too. The club have done loads for me and made me feel very welcome since I first came.
"And gave me the opportunities to develop even further. To look past that and into the future would be disrespectful. It's not something I am thinking about, to be honest."
Bellingham also received votes in third place from Rivaldo, Jean-Pierre Papin and Luis Suarez, while Kaka and Lothar Matthaus placed him second. The midfielder was voted in top spot by Michael Owen, Matthias Sammer and Zinedine Zidane.
Messi meanwhile put Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Nuno Mendes in second place. And in first, the Argentina captain selected Barcelona star Gavi, who ultimately won the Kopa award.
The Spanish international also won Tuttosport's Golden Boy award later in the week and insisted he would keep challenging himself. "I try and give the best of myself the whole time and try to apply myself in the best way," he said after winning the Kopa.
Messi scored once and provided the assist for two more goals in PSG's win over AC Ajaccio on Friday night. He has hit form at the perfect time in the lead up to the World Cup, scoring four goals in his last six games in all competitions for the Ligue 1 giants.
