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Juventus' De Ligt wins Kopa Trophy as world's top Under-21 player

Marco Canoniero / LightRocket / Getty

Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt capped a superb 2019 by taking home the Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d'Or award ceremony Monday in Paris. France Football awards the honor to the world's best Under-21 player.

The Juventus star beat out fellow young guns Jadon Sancho and Joao Felix for the distinction.

The 20-year-old, who captured the Golden Boy award in 2018 following a similarly outstanding year with Ajax, made a massive €75-million move to Juventus this past summer after captaining the Dutch club to the Champions League semifinals.

He's also established himself as a stalwart with the Netherlands, anchoring the Oranje's backline alongside Virgil van Dijk.

De Ligt is the second player to claim the prize after Kylian Mbappe won the inaugural edition last year.

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