Barcelona midfielder Gavi wins 2022 Kopa Trophy

Barcelona midfielder Pablo “Gavi” Gaviria has won the 2022 Kopa Trophy as the world’s best under-21 player at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris on Monday.

Gavi finished ahead of Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga and Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and is the second Barça player in a row to win the award, and received the honor from his teammate Pedri who took home the Kopa last year.

Gavi wins the award after taking European football by storm last season. Still a Barça Juvenil A player, he was given a chance by Ronald Koeman in preseason and more than took advantage of it, quickly becoming a fixture of the first team and earning a call-up to Luis Enrique’s Spanish national team where he’s become a regular starter.

Even with Koeman’s sacking Gavi continued to rise up the ranks at Barça and is now a full starter under Xavi Hernández and one of the key pieces of the club’s future having just signed a four-year extension.

Congratulations, Gavi!