Nigeria international, Samuel Chukwueze has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or award for the best U21 player of the year.
The 20-year-old was among the 10-strong shortlist for the Kopa Trophy, which is Ballon d'Or’s award for the best performing player under the age of 21.
The award comes after Chukwueze’s break-out year in Villarreal where he caught the eye with a series of fantastic performances.
The Super Eagles star scored nine goals in all competitions in his breakthrough season with the Yellow Submarines.
Chukwueze was nominated for the Kopa Trophy alongside the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Jadon Sancho, Joao Felix, Matteo Guendouz, etc.
While rating the performance of Chukwueze last season, English journalist Sid Lowe, who covers La Liga, mentioned that the Nigerian is going to be a great player.
“Chukwueze is going to be a great player. He already is a good player, I think he’s going to be a great player,” Lowe said about the Nigerian forward.
Chukwueze in the year under review also impressed for Nigeria and played six games as the Super Eagles finished third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Full shortlist OF 2019 Kopa Trophy
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- Matteo Guendouzi (Arsenal)
- Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)
- Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid)
- Moise Kean (Everton)
- Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal)
- Kang-in Lee (Valencia)
- Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus)
- Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)
- Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen)
- Andriy Lunin (Real Valladolid)
See Also | Samuel Chukwueze Celebrates Mum On Boat Cruise [PHOTOS]
This article was most recently revised and updated 5 years ago
