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Real Madrid prodigy Jude Bellingham recently created history by becoming the first Englishman to win the Kopy Trophy at a Ballon d'Or ceremony. The 20-year-old superstar received the trophy from former Madrid player Eden Hazard and made sure to acknowledge the might of the Belgian by sending him a celebratory message.
Bellingham has experienced a dream start to life in Spain, bagging 13 goals in as many games, including a match-winning brace against Barcelona in his first El Clasico appearance.
The youngster is just one strike away from leveling his entire goal tally from last season, making his goal-scoring exploits of the ongoing campaign all the more impressive.
Owing to his incredible heroics on the pitch, the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder was awarded the 2023 Kopa Trophy, which is given to the best U-21 player.
Former Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard was called on stage to present the award to the youngster.
The 27-capped England international took to social media to share some jubilant moments from the ceremony, posting several photos on Instagram to mark the historic event.
One of the photos uploaded also showcased the moment when he received the coveted trophy from Eden Hazard. Jude Bellingham made sure to show his appreciation for the former Chelsea superstar, by captioning the post,
"From a legend! 🤍"
Bellingham had to beat a plethora of talented youngsters to get his hands on the said award, with Bayern Munich prodigy Jamal Musiala narrowly missing out on the top spot.
While Musiala had to contend with a second-place finish, former winners Pedri and Gavi also made the top five, securing third and fifth places, respectively.
Bellingham's Real Madrid teammate Eduardo Camavinga finished in fourth place while La Masia graduates Xavi Simmons and Alejandro Balde bagged the sixth and seventh places, respectively.
Despite playing for Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham backed Lionel Messi for the 2023 Ballon d'Or title
After winning the first individual trophy of his senior career, Jude Bellingham was asked to name the deserving winner for the 2023 Ballon d'Or award. Despite turning out for Barcelona's fiercest rivals, the youngster did not shy away from praising the one and only, Lionel Messi.
Commenting on who should claim the biggest individual award in football, Bellingham replied by saying that the 2023 Ballon d'Or should go to the Argentinian maestro. He stated (via Mirror),
"It's World Cup year and Lionel Messi had a fantastic World Cup, he deserves to win the Ballon d'Or."
Bellingham's prediction soon came true as Lionel Messi was named as the winner of the said accolade, some time later. The 36-year-old Inter Miami talisman has now won the title a record eight times, extending his lead over Cristiano Ronaldo to three.
