Jude Bellingham WINS Kopa award at the 2023 Ballon d’Or just days after the 20-year-old Real Madrid superstar scored twice in his first El Clasico appearance against Barcelona on Saturday

• Jude Bellingham has won the Kopa Award at the 2023 Ballon d’Or
• Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala came second behind his ex-England team-mate  
• Click here to listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off 

Jude Bellingham can no longer be known for his flair on the football pitch after Monday night. 

The Real Madrid superstar, who just two days ago secured a dramatic win for Los Blancos in El Clasico, rocked up to the Ballon d’Or ceremony in a pair of wide legged flares of his own.

Bellingham came 18th on the list of Ballon d’Or nominees, only one spot above another Englishman who has been stealing hearts on the continent, Harry Kane.

Considering this season wasn’t taken into account when nominating the winner, it came as no surprise that Lionel Messi took home the trophy for an eighth time after winning the World Cup with Argentina.

Bellingham didn’t go home empty handed however, picking up the award for the best under-21 player, the Kopa Trophy, voted for by former Ballon d’Or winners.

Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham collected the 2023 Kopa Trophy award on Monday night

The 20-year-old earned the award for his performances with Borussia Dortmund last season

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‘I’ve been really welcomed by everyone at the club, my teammates, the staff, everyone behind the scenes, so really it’s down to them,’ he said in his acceptance speech. ‘I’m always confident in my ability, but they help me express it.’

‘To me the most important thing is team trophies. Now I’ve got this one it’s important that I try and kick on and help Madrid and England win trophies,’ he added to an approving nod by David Beckham in the audience.

Barcelona’s Gavi and Pedri were both included as nominees, while Bellingham’s team-mate Eduardo Camavinga was also on the list. 

RB Leipzig star, Xavi Simons, was another addition, following his break-out season, scoring a whopping 22 goals in 48 appearances across all competitions for the German outfit. 

But it was the England star who has been magnificent for Real Madrid since arriving in a £113million move to the Bernabeu this summer, scoring 13 goals in 13 games, who picked up the award. 

Last season, the 20-year-old was a stand-out for Borussia Dortmund, scoring 14 goals in 47 games across all competitions, helping the side just narrowly miss out on winning the German first division.  

Bellingham has scored 13 goals in 13 games since making the stunning move to Spain

On whether choosing the No 5 jersey was to emulate the legendary Real Madrid star, Zinedine Zidane, Bellingham said: ‘Yeah there’s a little bit of that. There wasn’t much else left to be honest. 

‘It’s a lot of pressure but it’s something that I wanted to invite onto myself and pay homage to one of my footballing idols.’

On what it feels like to join such an illustrious group of players that includes Kylian Mbappe, Matthijs de Ligt, Pedri and Gavi to have won the award, he said: ‘It’s an honour to be stood here with some of the best players in the world and some of the best players to have played the game. 

‘To win this trophy means a lot but for me most important is team trophies. Now I’ve got this one it’s important I try and kick on and help Madrid.’ 

Chelsea legend Eden Hazard (L) was on hand to deliver Bellingham with the award

Speaking his former England team-mate Musiala finishing runner-up, Bellingham added: ‘Yeah it’s nice because we were room-mates for England about two or three years ago and he was one of my best mates in football

‘I’m really proud of him. So always keeping in touch to see how he’s getting on. He’s a great lad and a great player.’

Musiala, who was not in attendance tonight, sent his congratulations to Bellingham via a video message: ‘Well deserved. I think we can remember not long ago that we were room-mates at England.

‘Now you’re playing for Real Madrid and I’m playing for Bayern, crazy when you think about it. I hope to see you soon and hope you have a fantastic evening.’ 

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