Juventus Starlet Kerim Alajbegovic Finishes 7th as Lamine Yamal Completes Kopa Trophy Hat-Trick

Alajbegovic the Lone Serie A Name on 10-Man Shortlist

Juventus forward Kerim Alajbegovic has finished seventh in the 2026 Kopa Trophy rankings, the award recognising the world's best player under the age of 21, with Barcelona's Lamine Yamal taking the prize at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London for the third year in a row.

The 19-year-old Bosnian was the only Serie A representative among the 10-man shortlist. The award, now officially named the 'Men's Young Talent of the Year Award', is voted for by former Ballon d'Or winners.

A Breakout Season Built Abroad and on the World Stage

Alajbegovic earned his nomination after a breakthrough season on loan at RB Salzburg from Bayer Leverkusen, form that persuaded Juventus to sign him in the summer in a deal worth around €35m.

He also starred for Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup, scoring in their 3-1 win over Qatar in Seattle.

Since moving to Turin, Alajbegovic has made 10 appearances in all competitions. He scored his first goal for the club in the Europa League against NEC in September and has become a regular part of Luciano Spalletti's squad during an injury crisis.

Yamal Makes It Three in a Row

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal had won the Kopa Trophy in each of the previous two years and was the favourite to complete a hat-trick, which he duly did in London.

Alajbegovic's standing on the continent is underlined by his presence on another major youth shortlist: on 14 October 2026, he was named among the 25 finalists for the 2026 Golden Boy award for Europe's best under-21 player, alongside the likes of Pau Cubarsí, Endrick and Warren Zaire-Emery.

A Juventus Precedent

Matthijs de Ligt is the only player to have won the award while joining Juventus, taking the 2019 prize after his performances for Ajax.