Lionel Messi: Ballon d’Or winner voted for Musiala to win Kopa trophy ahead of Bellingham

Lionel Messi won his record-extending Ballon d'Or at the ceremony in Paris on Monday night after beating Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe to the award.

Messi may never be on the Ballon d'Or podium again, leaving the door open for the next-generation superstars to take over from where he and Cristiano Ronaldo left off.

Mbappe and Haaland have shown they can be the face of football for the next few years, but some other youngsters have emerged to fight for the throne with these two.

These youngsters have been most of the winners and nominees of the Raymond Kopa trophy, an award given to U21 players and voted for by former Ballon d'Or winners per Diario AS.

Messi voted Musiala for Kopa trophy
The Kopa trophy was first introduced in 2018, and it was won by Mbappe. Matthijs De Ligt won the 2019 edition, while Barcelona youngsters Pedri and Gavi won the 2021 and 2022 edition.

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham won the 2023 award, while Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala placed second, with Pedri making the podium yet again at third.

Per Fabrizio Romano, Messi had all three players in his top three but in a different ranking. He picked German attacker Musiala as his winner, Pedri as second and winner Bellingham as third.

???? Lionel Messi’s votes for the Kopa Trophy 2023 — Best Talent of the Year.

???? Musiala
???? Pedri
???? Bellingham pic.twitter.com/mgeAS7vO6e

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 3, 2023

The former Chelsea academy star scored the goal that won Bayern Munich its 11th consecutive title while the English international was on the losing end at Borussia Dortmund.

Spanish international midfielder Pedri was pivotal to Messi's former club, Barcelona's La Liga triumph, their first since the departure of the Argentine in 2021.