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Cristiano Ronaldo stayed loyal to his side and reportedly went for Manchester United starlet Mason Greenwood as his first pick for the 2021 Kopa Trophy. According to the Mirror, Ronaldo's other two picks for the Kopa Trophy went to PSG full-back Nuno Mendes and Borussia Dortmund's Giovanni Reyna.
The Kopa Trophy is a relatively new individual award given to the most outstanding player under the age of 21. The award was first handed in 2018 with Kylian Mbappe becoming its maiden recipient. Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt won it in 2019. This year, the Kopa Trophy was won by Barcelona sensation Pedri.
Cristiano Ronaldo's pick for Mason Greenwood does make sense. The 20-year-old forward has been one of England's rising stars alongside the likes of Buyako Saka and Phil Foden.
Greenwood scored 12 goals and provided six assists in 52 appearances for Manchester United last season. He has also been in decent form this season, having already scored four times in the Premier League.
It is worth noting that the Kopa Trophy is awarded in the same ceremony as the Ballon d'Or. The prestigious "Golden Ball" for 2021 was won by Cristiano Ronaldo's long-time rival Lionel Messi. The PSG forward won his seventh Ballon d'Or award in his illustrious career.
Ronaldo is now two Ballon d'Ors behind the former Barcelona superstar.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been Manchester United's talisman this season
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Manchester United from Juventus earlier in the summer. The 36-year-old forward has made an excellent start to his second stint at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo has scored 12 goals in 16 appearances for Manchester United across all competitions. He has scored six goals apiece in both the Premier League as well as in the Champions League. The former Real Madrid and Juventus superstar is Manchester United's leading goalscorer this season.
Ronaldo recently scored a brace in the Red Devils' 3-2 win over Arsenal in the Premier League. After the game, newly-appointed interim manager at Manchester United, Ralf Rangnick, has stated that Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the fittest players for his age. Rangnick said:
"Having seen Cristiano yesterday in the second half at the age of 36, an amazing top professional. At his age, I've never seen a player who is still that physically fit. He's still a player who can easily make the difference. So yes, it's about how we can develop the whole team, not only Cristiano."
