Julian Nagelsmann: Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala should have won Kopa Trophy ahead of Gavi

Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann believes Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala would have been more deserving winners of the Kopa Trophy than Gavi.

FC Barcelona midfielder Gavi won the 2022 Kopa Trophy earlier this week at the Ballon d’Or awards ceremony. Gavi’s win came as a surprise to many, who felt that one of Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala and Eduardo Camavinga should have won the award.

Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann has now weighed in on the matter, saying that he felt both Bellingham and Musiala had better seasons than Gavi. During his pre-match press conference ahead of Bayern’s DFB-Pokal second round tie against FC Augsburg, Nagelsmann said:

"“In my eyes, Jamal Musiala and Jude Bellingham had a better season than the winner Gavi, who is also doing really well. He’s a very good player who I think is highly talented.”“I would have voted the other way around though. I don’t think it would be undeserved for any of the three. But in my opinion, those two are a little ahead of Gavi.”"

Jude Bellingham was down in fourth place in the Kopa Trophy rankings despite establishing himself as a very important player for both Borussia Dortmund and the England national team.

The midfielder finished last season with six goals and 14 assists in 44 appearances for the Black and Yellows, and has also taken on a leadership role in the team this season. He also became only the third teenager to score in four consecutive UEFA Champions League appearances last week.

While Jamal Musiala finished third in the voting after his impressive year with Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. The attacking midfielder scored eight goals and registered six assists for Bayern last season, and has also made an excellent start to the current season.

The Kopa Trophy is an award organised by France Football that is given to the best performing U-21 player in the world.