Bundesliga
The Bundesliga congratulates former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham on his 2023 Kopa Trophy win, an accolade awarded to the best U21 player in world football during the 2022/23 campaign.
England international Bellingham was a driving force for Die Schwarzgelben as they pushed Bayern Munich all the way in the Bundesliga title race last term. He featured in all but three top-flight matches, scoring a career-high eight goals and providing a further four assists, and showed leadership belying his tender years as he became BVB’s youngest-ever captain in the 3-2 defeat to Cologne during Matchday 8.
Ultimately, Dortmund’s season ended in heartbreak as they missed out on the Meisterschale on the final day of the campaign, but it may well have been a different story had Bellingham not been unavailable due to injury. While he and his teammates could not quite end Bayern’s 11-year dominance, the number 22 did at least take home the Bundesliga’s Player of the Season award.
During the summer, Bellingham completed a move to Real Madrid, bringing an end to three impressive years at Signal Iduna Park. The Kopa Trophy, as such, is a final reminder of his contribution to Dortmund and the Bundesliga, and he deserves all the praise he is almost to certain to receive as a result.