The 2021 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony unfolded Monday in Paris, with a collection of the world's top players set to be recognized with one of the sport's most prestigious individual honors.
New York City FC academy product and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Gio Reyna was among the nominees for the Raymond Kopa Trophy awarded to the world's best U-21 player, finishing in ninth place. The winners for the night's biggest honors, Ballon d'Or (top men's player) and Ballon d'Or Feminin (top women's player), were respectively the legendary Lionel Messi and Barcelona star Alexia Putellas.
Reyna finished just inside the Kopa Trophy's top 10, tying Belgian forward Jeremy Doku from Ligue 1 side Rennes.
It's the latest milestone of Reyna's rapid ascent since playing youth soccer with NYCFC, where he was a member of the club's academy from 2015-19 before moving to Dortmund. He's since emerged as one of the brightest young talents in the German Bundesliga and has four goals in his first nine US men's national team caps.
It adds some anticipation for what will hopefully be Reyna's speedy return, as he's been sidelined since the beginning of September with a hamstring injury that he sustained during a Concacaf World Cup Qualifying match with the USMNT against El Salvador.
